Fashion is an art like any other medium. At least designer Dan Richters feels so.

“It’s a long process,” says Richters. “I just discovered it by doing it. I can’t find any tutorials like what I’m doing. I think that’s the way to make something original. Just do it differently than everyone else.” ”

For those who generally expect clothing designs to emerge from fabric draped into the shape of a dress, Richters’ approach is a little difficult to understand. You take out the mold of the dress and the clay to make the shape you want.I’m basically sculpting the dress,” he explains. pour into This provides the stability and shape needed to create wearable garments.

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Designed by Dan Richters

Dan Richters

The result is a highly visual piece that is a cross between evening wear and sci-fi cinema. Clothing fits and moves like a second skin. Perhaps it is because, in a way, it is. “Silicone is very flexible and easy to move around in. It’s my favorite material,” Richters said, searching countless fabric stores to find a material that could make what he wanted, but to no avail. “Then I was walking into a hardware store and found silicone. This is what they use to caulk windows, and I started trying it out.”

It’s revealed that Richters can’t wear window caulk. “And it should be properly ventilated when you use it.” Then he discovered a silicone brand used in the film industry to make prosthetics. “It’s been proven to be safe for skin. It’s safe for the person wearing it, and it’s safe for me to work with,” he says.

It’s not the traditional way to manufacture clothes. But again, Richters isn’t a traditional designer who sells his designs to mass consumers. He sees his collection as an art exhibition. His one-of-a-kind dresses hit the runway for the show and possibly some fashion shows in several cities.

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Designed by Dan Richters

Dan Richters

Works are sometimes purchased. They have also been rented for special occasions or borrowed by celebrity stylists for red carpet events. It was sold and placed in a store in the famous Harajuku area.

Richters also creates bespoke pieces. We all come together to come up with ideas and make them happen. It is still a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. I’m not interested in the manufacturing mindset at all. We are particular about handcrafting. ”

Richters says he has always been fascinated by different art forms, including sculpture, painting, and music. He earned a fine arts degree with a thesis in painting from his University of Omaha, Nebraska, and draws much of his inspiration from fashion, especially his 1990s designers such as Alexander his McQueen and Thierry Mugler. He began designing fashion when a group of friends in Omaha began hosting their own underground fashion shows, discovering the city’s strong fashion community.

Omaha Fashion Week started in 2008 and Richters has regularly shown both there and at Los Angeles Fashion Week. He’s currently gearing up for his first show at Parker Fashion Week on September 9th and his 10th. “I know a lot of people like me here in Omaha, so it’s great. You can see that Parker Fashion Week is really invested and committed to delivering a quality event,” he said. say.

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Fashion designer Dan Richters

Dan Richters

Audiences at Parker can expect to find otherworldly designs with metallic luster that draw from Richters’ interest in ancient aristocratic and royal fashion. It’s very inspiring on an artistic level to see how they dressed up,” he explains.

But don’t expect the collection to be for sale in a store near you. Richters isn’t in for the money. He has a day job as a photographer and videographer to support himself financially. He makes fashion for his own creative satisfaction, which he says sometimes confuses people. I honestly don’t know how I could turn what I do in the fashion industry into a job, and if it did, I’m not sure I would still enjoy it.”

For him, just being in the studio and making art makes him happy. He says he strives to develop new ways of making clothes with each collection. “The process of making it is my favorite part,” he explains. “When you’re in the studio and you’re having so much fun, time stops. Then you see it all come together on the runway… I like the idea of ​​putting something out there that sparks the imagination.”

Dan Richters, Parker Fashion Week, Friday, September 9 and Saturday, September 10, 5pm, West Main Taproom, 18595 East Main Street, Parker. For tickets, $75-$100 and more, visit parkerfashionweek.com.