BTS: Omaha Fashion Week as a New Model

Omaha Fashion Week is the 4th largest fashion week in the United States and takes place twice a year in the humble state of Nebraska. It showcases emerging designers, as well as established designers from across the U.S. This past August, I had the chance to make my runway debut (hold your applause) and experience the OFW Fall 2023 season. With that being said, I want to give you all of the details as to how I was cast and what to expect backstage.

Casting Call

The casting call is in collaboration with Develop Model Management and takes place at the Oakview Mall in Omaha. Here, you’re given a number to pin to your shirt and asked to fill out an application on your phone. I wore a fitted black bodysuit, black skinny jeans, and black heels to the casting (but I did see a lot of variety, so wear whatever makes you feel most comfortable!). I was 165th in line, and I’m pretty sure there were over 300 models who auditioned. The casting starts at 1 p.m. and runs as long as needed for all of the models to walk. I probably waited about an hour or so for my turn (I brought my husband with me, so the wait didn’t feel nearly as long!). Pro tip: Get there early if you don’t want to wait in line, or bring a friend like I did!

Before you walk a photographer takes your headshot, you have your measurements taken and then you’ll hit the runway! Your time on the runway is probably only about 30 seconds (or less) but it can feel like a lifetime when you’re nervous. You walk straight down the middle of the runway, at the end you strike two poses (nothing too dramatic, just a little pivot of your feet to show your angles) while the casting director from Develop takes a video of you, and then you turn over your left shoulder and walk on the right hand side of the runway to exit (easy as pie).

When you’ve walked the runway you return your number and pins and then you’re free to go! I personally stayed for a bit longer to watch the other models walk (it’s nice to see how others put their own flair into it).

If a designer chooses to cast you, you’ll receive an email from OFW’s Community Outreach Director in about a months time. If you’re cast for multiple designers you’ll receive one email per designer (you can walk for up to three designers), but if you’re not cast you won’t receive any communication. Don’t be discouraged if you’re not cast, there are new designers each season who all have their own vision when choosing their models! I’ve been denied from soooo many modeling agencies, but if I gave up after my first rejection then I would have never had this experience!

In these emails they include a link to the “Backstage” page where important information can be found such as lodging, call times, etc. Something that I really enjoyed was that OFW blocks out hotel rooms at a discounted price for models to book (the hotel is located right next to the Omaha Design Center where the show takes place, so if you’re not in the area I highly recommend booking here).

Boot Camp

One of the nice things about Omaha Fashion Week is that they offer a “Model Boot Camp” prior to the shows for all of the cast models to attend via Zoom. During the call they went over what the timeline for each night was (each night is more or less the same), the hair and makeup process, as well as rules to follow backstage. Each model is also given the chance to practice their walk with Develop’s casting director. Some models stayed to practice, while some signed off.

Rehearsal

The night before the first show, all of the models were invited (and encouraged) to attend rehearsal at the Omaha Design Center where the show would be taking place. Here they went over the schedule for each night, what to expect, rules for models, and tips for walking! They gave us a tour of the showroom and backstage, and while backstage all of the models were lined up to practice their walk down the runway. After you practiced once you had the option to practice multiple times or head home if needed! I personally practiced once, but I wished I would have practiced more (I’m very shy and didn’t know anyone in the show, so I went back to my hotel after my first practice walk).

Showtime

On the day of the first show I hung around my hotel, did my base makeup and waited around until call time, which was 5:30 p.m. for models. One thing that I thought was interesting about OFW was that they have their models do their own base makeup (foundation, concealer, powder). They started this during Covid and continued this practice afterwards because it helped to streamline and shorten makeup time. Apparently it also helped push back the call time for models by a few hours, which is nice!

At call time the models all signed in and found their designer’s area backstage. Once backstage, models were sent to hair and makeup which was done by the OFW Beauty Alliance and led by SOHO Hair Academy. I really enjoyed having my hair and makeup done, and all of the team members were so kind and thoughtful when creating each look.

After getting ready, models for the emerging designers lined up to walk in the first half of the show around 7:30 p.m. with the show starting at 8:00 p.m. Models walking for featured designers got to hangout for awhile longer backstage and walked during the second half of the show which typically started around 9:00 p.m. The show ended between 10-11 p.m. each night.

After the final show on Saturday, models (21+) and the public were invited to an after party that was held at a new nightclub in Omaha. My husband and I went for a little while (we got discounted tickets since I was in the show) and had a great time chatting with other models and people involved in the shows.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed my time at Omaha Fashion Week SO much. I loved meeting so many new people and seeing all of the hard work that each designer put into their collections. Everything was organized and drama-free which I appreciated. The people involved with the show were so kind and answered any questions that we had. I would HIGHLY recommend auditioning if you are in the area and want to try something new :)

Feel free to comment any questions you may have below, or let me know if I left out anything important!

Until next time,

Rae🫶🏻