HC: Where are you currently working?
Kylie: I currently am working for Omaha Fashion Week as well as managing my own freelance wardrobe styling business, Styling with Kylie.
HC: Tell us about your experience with Develop Model Management.
Kylie: I was only with Develop for a short period of time. My tasks involved printing calendar of events going on in Omaha and surrounding cities and scouting for potential models in everyday life.
HC: How did you get involved with Develop Model Management?
Kylie: I know Alyssa Dilts through my work with Omaha Fashion Week.
HC: Tell us about your experience with Omaha Fashion Week. What do you do there? How do you like it? How has this experience impacted your career goals/education? – what have you learned?
Kylie: Omaha Fashion Week provides a professional platform to showcase the work of regional independent fashion designers on a bi-annual basis. Going on its fifth year, Omaha Fashion Week has become the Midwest’s largest fashion event, surpassing Minneapolis, Denver, Kansas City and St. Louis in terms of audience size and the number of independent designers who are served. My role with Omaha Fashion Week is Talent Management, Wardrobe Stylist, Backstage Manager and Stage Director. Working for Omaha Fashion Week is highly stimulating because they highlight all of my creative strengths and allow me to grow and add to my title and duties with each and every season. Another great attribute with our OFW group is how team oriented we are, we all work together for a common goal and that is something I have always looked for in an employer.
I have learned to check my ego at the door. Nothing about what we do is about me, we care solely about the success of our designers and being able to launch them into profitable futures and there is something incredibly beautiful about working for a company, in the fashion industry, who cares about the well-being of all involved and not for underlying meanings.
Omaha Fashion Week has been a great platform for me to grow as a fashion-loving individual. I have always wanted to work for successful entrepreneurs and build businesses from the ground up and that is essentially what I have gotten to do with OFW. The Producers, Nick and Brook Hudson, took a chance on me 3 years ago and the sky is the limit for what we will achieve in the future. Every season we manipulate the previous shows and figure out what we need to improve upon and do so for the upcoming event. This is a never-ending process. It’s exciting being a part of a business who does want to continue to reinvent themselves with every season. As humans we tend to be stuck in our habits and I think that the best successes come from innovations and pushing the limits. Change is inevitable, embrace it.
HC: How did you get involved with Omaha Fashion Week?
Kylie: I interviewed for an internship with Producer, Brook Hudson 3 years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday-We met at Scooters in Omaha, chatted, answered some questions and soon enough I was offered not just any internship; but my choice between all of the internship categories they were offering. In making my decision, I chose to be Talent Management Intern- It was a huge moment for me and I will never forget it! After a season I lost my intern status and became Talent Manager and with each coming season my titles continue to change as we grow the show.
HC: Tell us about Styling with Kylie. Why did you start this? How did you start this? What do you do? Who do you work with? What have you learned from this experience? How successful has this business been thus far?
Kylie: Styling with Kylie is my freelance business that originally started out as a for fun avenue for me. I would go shopping with my family and friends and help them pick out outfits for special occasions or clean out their closets, whatever they needed help with style-wise. It wasn’t until I had a professor at Metropolitan Community College, Mary Ilig, assign a business plan project that I really got the creative juices flowing with my business. We had to create our own business, fully fill out a business plan and be able to provide evidence that you would succeed. From there sparked my business of wardrobe assistance. I can do anything from: closet cleans, style finders, look books, shopping excursions, special events and photo-shoots. My most recent announcement is that have become wardrobe stylist for a major radio station in Omaha, Q98.5. I will style the on-air DJ’s whenever they have an outing, special event or appearance that they are in charge of. I have styled many different people from many different walks of life and I think that is why I love it so much. No two people are the same, which means my job will never be identical as the one before it. The main reason I started Styling with Kylie was to be able to help people who may not feel beautiful because of underlying factors in life like: weight, health, social status or finances. I wanted to be able to show them that no matter their circumstances they are still beautiful and by modifying their outward appearance even the slightest bit, you can change the way you and the world see yourself. Bullying is a huge issue in schools today and my heart aches for those victimized. I can only hope that with my business I can touch a few hearts, heal a few bruises and clothe people in confidence.
HC: Have you had any other fashion related jobs other than the ones previously mentioned?
Kylie: I was a wardrobe assistant this summer, in Nashville with Amanda Valentine from Project Runway. We did stylist pulls for band, individual and commercial photo-shoots and were on-set wardrobe assistants for each. We also worked wardrobe together on a music video in Nashville. I had the pleasure of helping Amanda shoot her line and launch the collection online, as well as help her with brand management, and even did some PR to generate publicity about the launch of her online store, Valentine Valentine.
HC: What are your career goals?
Kylie: As easy of a questions that is, you would think I had an answer- but I really don’t. I will go anywhere and do anything when it comes to fashion. Opportunities are endless at this point and I wouldn’t want to lock myself into just one thing before I am really sure about my next steps. I embrace continued learning and hope that with every opportunity I am given, that I can continue to love what I do- because in the end that is all I want. To be happy and love my career, day in and day out.
HC: What is your education background/major?
Kylie: My college education originally started at Morningside College in Sioux City, IA. I was competing in cheerleading and dance there and studying Dance and Business. After one year, I still didn’t really know what I wanted to do so I transferred to Metropolitan Community College in Omaha and continued my education, earning an Associate degree in Business Management with a specialization in Merchandising. Now, I am continuing on in my undergrad as a Fashion Merchandising (TMFD) student at UNL.
HC: How did you decide you wanted to pursue a fashion career?
Kylie: If you ask my family they would tell you that I have always danced to the beat of my own drum. I knew what I liked, I knew what I wanted and I always wanted to figure things out on my own. It’s no different with fashion. When I was in high school fashion was my outlet, my way to express to the world who I was. As tacky as it is to say, I was the trend-setter for my teeny town of 4,000 right from the start. Fashion to me wasn’t just clothes though. When you grow up in a small town, everyone knows everyone and no doubt, because they “know” you, they “know” who you are and everything about you. This is where my fashion sense sparked. Everyone thought they knew who I was, but no one took the time to really get to know me. Instead, they knew what they knew and were closed-minded to any sort of change to that perspective. When you try to compare that to the fashion world, they are complete opposites and that is why I loved it so much. Fashion is always changing, it is never stagnant and people opinions are developed daily- its intriguing and exhilarating if you think about it. So, instead of delving into everyone else’s opinions of me, I found my passion and outlet in fashion and reinvented myself. I adhered to only my standards and stopped worrying about what anyone else had to say about it. Fashion can set you free if you have the confidence and gumption to just step out and take the necessary steps.
HC: How would you describe your style?
Kylie: My style is determined on the daily. But, I must say I really do love my hippie days!
HC: What is your “go-to” look/piece of clothing in your closet?
Kylie: Leggings, 100%- printed, textured, rugged amazing leggings. That article of clothing saved my life! I hate jeans and I hate shorts. Leggings are my happy alternative to both. I also thoroughly enjoy my light weight, high-waisted, bell pant- bellbottoms. So comfortable and yet so awesome. I’m a sucker for baggy or slouchy tops. Off the shoulder? Yes, please. They are great.
HC: What are some of your favorite stores?
Kylie: Etsy, thrift stores or second hand stores, H&M, ZARA, ASOS, Be Yourself
HC: What is your dream job?
Kylie: No clue. haha I guess I’ll find out, but for now I am very content with what I have!