First MCC Fashion Show a Runaway Success
Brian Ayers
Media and Public Relations manager | May 8, 2026
The MCC Fashion Design program has a long history serving the community, but on Saturday, May 2, faculty and students debuted the first-ever MCC Fashion Show.
“Weaving Together the Creative Process” brought together the state’s two largest higher education institutions and welcomed 300 guests to a different kind of fabrication at the South Omaha Campus Center for Advanced Manufacturing.
Students enrolled in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design program and MCC Fashion Design students transformed the conference room into a professional runway showcase for emerging designers. Students representing multiple programs within the MCC Creative Arts and Design academic focus area — fashion design, photography, video/audio communication arts and studio art — had a role in making it a memorable night for the College.
“What started as a curriculum need for a fashion design apprenticeship turned into a special collaboration,” said Kally Malcom-Bjorklund, associate dean of the MCC Creative Arts and Design program.
More than 60 garments created by 28 student designers from both schools — several of whom began their fashion education at MCC before transferring to UNL — were featured on the runway. Collections were modeled during four intervals highlighting the weft — threads woven in fabric that give a garment texture, pattern and drape — and warp — threads that give a fabric its length, stability and vertical strength. Pieces included flowing gowns, vibrant color patterns, ready-to-wear streetwear and avant-garde creativity.
Malcom-Bjorklund credited adjunct fashion design instructor and show producer Jenny Pool with bringing the fashion community together under one roof through her connection to Omaha Fashion Week over the years. She also praised Nanci Stephenson, the MCC Fashion Design program director, for her leadership over the past decade. Cooperative study gained from working with successful local design professionals has been a program pillar throughout its history. An MCC-produced show was an evolution of that concept.
Collaboration was key in presenting students’ portfolio work in a professional setting. MCC photography students captured Develop Model Management models strutting the catwalk and portraits of attendees on the red carpet. They also went behind the scenes to show individuals getting runway ready with SOHO Hair Academy Omaha volunteers.
Video/audio students filmed the event, mining B-roll for future use while studio arts program participants tied everything together with vases they created for table centerpieces and the runway backdrop installation. An Art Club student put entrepreneurial skills developed in the program to work, selling prints from a vendor table at the event.
Malcolm-Bjorklund said MCC could not have hosted the event without the support of community partners to make it possible, including materials provided by KEY Fabrics and equipment donated by Brook Hudson, longtime producer of Omaha Fashion Week.
“The evening affirmed there is quite the appetite for fashion events in our community, and through the support of our community and educational partners, there is potential for a fashion show to be a tradition of our Creative Arts and Design program.”
The tradition begins with a program built for working artists.
The MCC Fashion Design program is designed to help students gain the skills to enter careers creating and fabricating original apparel and accessories, partner with established designers, work in retail or show work in local and national fashion shows. Visit mccneb.edu/Fashion-Design for more information about the program.