“We really have a specialty and have become known nationally as a great place for high school- and college-age designers to get their start.”
Brook Hudson, producer, Omaha Fashion Week
You can hear it in Brook Hudson’s voice – a passion for possibility, whether she’s talking about Omaha Fashion Week presented by SAC Federal Credit Union, its new home in the Omaha Design Center or the local push to cultivate fashion’s next generation.
Brook co-produces Omaha Fashion Week (OFW) with her husband, Nick Hudson, who co-founded the bi-annual showcase in 2008. Today, it is both a glamorous fashion event – the fifth largest in the nation – and a design talent “incubator” offering designers at every level mentoring, educational opportunities and a professional platform to showcase their work.
“We have a selection panel that mentors the designers, and we have regular meetings with them throughout preparation for the show that gives them lots of feedback on ways to improve or tweak their design,” Brook Hudson says.
She continues, “A brand-new designer could begin learning skills that will aid them in becoming a professional designer with the business know-how to survive on their art.”
Omaha Fashion Week showcased 12 designers its first year. It now supports more independent fashion designers than any other organization in the region. Just last March, OFW celebrated its latest major milestone when it debuted in its permanent home, the Omaha Design Center.
“Now that we don’t have to move around to different venues and build tents, that frees up our energy to do things more creatively and provide even better support to our designers,” Hudson says
.
Winning Insights from Our December Winner:
Innovating and Keeping Entrepreneurial Spirit Alive
“OFW is always trying something new. We strive to mix things up and look at each new season with a fresh perspective. This fall, we added a partnership with Metropolitan Community College (MCC) to offer an associate degree in fashion design, which will be coupled with the opportunity to gain practical experience working with the OFW team. Next year, we will celebrate our 10th anniversary and add a new runway show, Kids Rule, designed to build confidence in children ages 5-12.”
Empower Employees and Creating a Culture in which They Can Grow and Succeed
“The OFW team is definitely not micromanaged. Each member of the team is given the overall vision and some set tasks but empowered to run with their ideas and use each other to generate new ones. The team is constantly networking just by nature of their job, allowing them to grow as professionals and creatives.”
Best Practice Tip
“Rome wasn’t built in a day. To be successful, you have to put in sustained effort over time.”
Value of Chamber Membership
“Through the Chamber, Omaha Fashion Week has had the opportunity to make countless connections who have turned into our greatest fans, biggest supporters and most loyal sponsors. We look forward to many more years of partnering with the fantastic businesses and people who call Omaha home.”
In addition to Omaha Fashion Week and their partnership with MCC, Brook, Nick and their OFW team nurture tomorrow’s designers through:
- Fashion Institute Midwest, a non-profit the Hudsons helped to found, which provides grants and educational opportunities to designers
- Fashion academy and curriculum development in select Omaha Public School high schools
- OFW’s Fashion Camp for kids as young as six-years-old
Want to learn more about Omaha Fashion Week? Check out its website.
