Creative, edgy and so young

Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.

We've written stories about aspiring teenage fashion designers in Omaha, playing up their creativity, talent and youth.

And they're getting younger each year.

Before they wear a cap and gown, commit to a college or live in a dorm, four local designers will showcase edgy high-fashion looks in Omaha Fashion Week, which starts Monday at Nomad Lounge in the Old Market.

Maximillian Suiter, 17, has an eight-piece women's holiday collection. Kate Walz, 14, has a 12-piece women's evening wear collection that features embroidery and ruffled details. Allison Dutton, 17, has created several looks "inspired by many characters of the imagination." And Jane Round, 17, will share her new line of 1920s to '50s-esque dresses.

They're arguably some of the best rising fashion talents in the city. Their age and clothing is generating chatter. People are buying tickets just to see them. And they're getting requests for customized pieces.

But most people at their schools are completely unaware of their skilled craftsmanship.

Jane, for instance, was 15 when she started participating in Fashion Week festivities. She also had models walk at Fashion in Salvation 2010, an underground charity fashion show. Now she's one of the designers who got a sought-after slot in Saturday's Grand Finale Runway show. The others kid designers will show their collections during the week.

Jane has become a mentor of sorts to Kate, a freshman at Millard North High School. Jane's a senior at the same school. They met at Fashion Week two or three years ago and became friends.

"Kate looks up to Jane," mom Jackie Walz said.

Having her help is invaluable. Jane knows what it's like to have the pressures of school, homework, chores and invites to parties and movies as you're trying to finish a fashion collection. She's able to give Kate sewing tips, advice on how to handle the media and help on how to work with someone who asks for a custom piece.

Jackie says Kate's love affair with fashion started at age 8 in her local 4-H club.

"They have sewing in 4-H," Mom said. "She had a project called Decorate Your Duds she was working on. She made the cutest pair of jeans."

Kate used a flower-shaped cookie-cutter to trace an outline on different spots of the denim. She added glitter to the floral designs and lime-green ribbon along the bottoms.

"Little stems came up from the bottom," Jackie said. "She won grand champion at the state fair for those jeans."

From that time on, Kate kept drawing and designing. She draws everything out on a sketch pad. She'll pile fabric on a mannequin she has at home. She cuts material on the kitchen table and irons fabric in the living room. If she doesn't know how to do something, she'll look it up on YouTube. She's entirely self-taught.

"She is super-creative, " Jackie said. "I think she thinks differently than most people. She sees things differently."

Mom has a mental suitcase full of embarrassing "prima donna" memories of Kate as a tot.

"She'd take all my Kleenex and tape it together," Jackie said. "She's always creating something for her 'Just Because' clothing line."

This year, she'll feature two mermaid-style dresses and three reversible skirts at Omaha Fashion Week's Tuesday show. Kate used jewel tones — burgundy, red, green and eggplant purple — for her pieces.

Mom would like to see Kate enter a fashion week event in another city for more exposure and experience. She'll participate in "Sweet Couture," a local pastry chef competition in October. Kate will show seven to nine of her creations and pastry chefs will create miniature hats out of sugar to accompany her dresses. Kate will work with Vivace pastry chef Tina Tweedy to create a wearable gown made from chocolate.

"That one will be really cool," Jackie said.

Across town, another mother feels just as strongly about her child designer.

Sarah Suiter said her son Max is the youngest male designer showing during Omaha Fashion Week. He'll participate in Monday's opening show.

Max said he got his start in fashion through geology. As a kid, he dug up his parents' backyard. He loved to look at rocks and other material he found. Max is a visual person, so his parents weren't surprised when he started drawing rocks, gems and other earthy material. Those drawings later became intricate jewelry designs, which opened the door to fashion.

Three years ago, he started drawing clothing.

"That's how it began," Sarah said. "It began on paper."

After hearing that other teen designers were participating in Fashion Week, Max's art teacher at Brownell-Talbot encouraged him to do the same. The high school senior applied and was accepted.

Ninety-one designers hoped to be part of Omaha Fashion Week. Only 40 were selected. Max was thrilled to be one of them.

"I was kind of nervous," Max said. "The other people ... were adults. And about a week later, I got the email saying 'You have officially been accepted.' I told my dad. He was really happy."

He relies on his grandmother Audrey Suiter's expertise.

"His grandmother is very proficient in sewing and quilting," Mom said. "She won the Nebraska State Fair first place in quilting last year. Sewing is something in the family."

Max used to keep his clothing designs in a sketch pad. He spends an hour or so drawing each day. Some creations are outlandish. Some are more conservative. But nothing bothered him more than not being able to see his work in three-dimensional form.

Audrey helped him create a piece. It was a forest-green dress with black tulle that gathered across the bottom.

"They're very supportive of my artistic expression," Max said.

His self-titled collection to be shown Monday is made up mostly of velvet, silk and satin pieces.

Max hired an area seamstress to make sure his work was up to par. He missed out on summer work time because he attended a five-week program for art and design at Washington University in St. Louis.

"He's already on a career path," Mom said. "It's interesting to see the direction that he's taken and it's exciting. I've seen his designs on paper and now I'm seeing them on a person. It's fantastic."

« Fashion

Share