Ilona Berk (1918 to 2013) was a prominent Lincoln designer who became an influential player in fashion for those who sought distinctive design and custom fit. Berk was a Czechoslovakian native and a Holocaust and concentration camp survivor. She immigrated to the United States in 1948. Her collection of garments include not only her custom made designs but European fashion from the last half of the 20th century, hand picked on her visits to Europe’s fashion capitols.

Seventy years of fashion are represented in the exhibition, “Nebraska: State of Fashion I” at the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery on UNL’s East Campus, running February 15, 2016 through April 1, 2016.