Fashion forward
Expanded Native Fashion Week set for May 2-5 in Santa Fe
Organizers of Santa Fe’s new Native Fashion Week have selected 14 Native American and Indigenous Canadian designers to participate in the event from May 2-5.
Although a location has yet to be determined, the celebration will feature main stage fashion shows, trunk shows and brand activation spaces.
Although fashion has been a part of the Santa Fe Indian Market for 10 years, it was allocated to a single day. It began with just four designers, 20 models and an audience of 150. The show gestated in 2014 with no budget, a U-Haul to transport models to the outside runway location and a DJ with a microphone.
Expanding the event “came about because there wasn’t enough room at the SWAIA (Southwestern Association for Indian Arts) market,” said curator and historian AmberDawn Bear Robe.
The festivities will begin with a fashion symposium on May 2. Panel discussions will address topics such as “What Native American fashion matters” and there will be a designer-focused fashion hub on May 3.
Tickets will go on sale in late March at swaia.org and swaianativefashion.org.
The first show premiered at Santa Fe Cathedral Park during the 2014 Indian Market. The designers were Orlando Dugi, Sho Sho Esquiro, Jamie Okuma and Bethany Yellowtail. The late World Championship Hoop Dancer, Nakotah LaRance, opened the show, performing with the DJ playing A Tribe Called Red in the background.
In 2015, the fashion show moved to the Santa Fe Community Convention Center courtyard, moving to the indoor SFCC ballroom. The show has showcased numerous designers, with an audience of more than 1,000 and 80 to 100 models per show. High profile models have included Quannah Chasinghorse, who walked for Lauren Good Day in 2022, to Amber Midthunder of the 2022 film “Prey,” Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten and Eugene Brave Rock of the AMC series “Dark Winds,” D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai of the FX series “Reservation Dogs” and Oscar winner Wes Studi.