Omaha Fashion Week kicked off with Student Night on Feb. 26 at the Omaha Design Center in downtown Omaha. The runway show included collections from Nebraska 4-H, Omaha High Schools, FCCLA and Joslyn Art Museum’s Kent Bellows Mentoring Program.
4-H members who exhibited their garments at the 2018 Nebraska State Fair qualified to apply to be part of the 4-H collection. To be considered, garments had to be fashion forward, runway appropriate and displayed high-quality construction. This was evident to the show’s producer, Brook Hudson, who was quoted saying, “Their [4-H’ers] construction is top-notch.”
Ellie Babcock, Lancaster County 4-H member, was one of 13 4-H’ers from across the state chosen to model their sewn garments. Babcock gained full attention of the audience as she walked the runway in her electric blue and white, ombré-dyed, tulle prom gown. This was her second year to be chosen for the student show.
Ellie says, “I was honored to be able to participate in the Omaha Fashion Week Student Night for the second year. All the 4-Hers, models, designers and staff backstage were uplifting and excited for the show. I was glad to be able to help and encourage first timers. This program has made me feel confident to be behind the scenes of a show and that is important for the career in fashion design I want to pursue.”