Harmony Collection by Loren Aragon | Model: Renay Baca | Photographer: Audre Holtz | Jewelry provided by Samsville Gallery
ACONAV
Loren Aragon is a former engineer turned fashion designer from the Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico. Aragon is now CEO and designer of ACONAV, a Native American-owned fashion brand celebrating the empowerment of women worldwide. Aragon’s work is the result of a combination of artistic vision and technological discipline. The application of traditional with modern ideas has allowed him to discover an avenue in which he is able to express his artistic talents, while preserving culture. Pe’eh’cha (Let it Rain) is the most recent collection that combines ancient Acoma pottery design elements and inspiration from the monsoon rains. In summer 2021, a collaboration with Santa Fe-based Samsville Gallery ignited an exclusive collection for the gallery, titled Harmony, which revisits bold traditional pottery designs on classic silhouettes.
Instagram:@aconav
Facebook: /ACONAV
Twitter:@aconav_fashion
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Model: Lily YeungPhotographer: Amy Denet Deal, 4KINSHIP
4KINSHIP
4KINSHIP is an Indigenous-owned sustainable upcycling artwear brand based in New Mexico and founded by Amy Denet Deal. “I believe in sustainable design processes—revitalizing and reimagining vintage, creating lovingly upcycled textiles [and] inviting old-soul textiles back into our world with love, care and mindfulness. My ethics are built upon not only sustainable processes in fashion, but also [a desire] to create sustainable solutions for future generations,” says Deal.
In 2019, the designer relocated to New Mexico shortly before the pandemic hit and spent 2020 providing mutual aid relief for relatives on the Navajo Nation. She adds, “4KINSHIP is currently leading fundraising efforts for Diné Skate Garden Project, which supports the community of Two Grey Hills on the Navajo Nation by providing a transformative space for Diné youth in this remote area, with groundbreaking scheduled for fall 2022.”
“4KINSHIP was founded in 2015, fueled by my desire to produce clothing in a sustainable way and to honor my Indigeneity.”- Amy Denet Deal, 4KINSHIP
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Jamie Okuma
Luiseño/Shoshone-Bannock artist Jamie Okuma specializes in one-of-a-kind pieces that she designs and produces entirely with her own hands—every detail of the process, from designing, beadwork, sewing and more. From high fashion to artful casual wear, Okuma does it all. Her work has been shown in Germany, Australia, France and many art institutions and museums throughout the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Denver Art Museum and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Recently, Okuma’s designs were featured in the SWAIA Indian Market Indigenous Fashion Show.
Instagram: @j.okuma
Facebook:Jamie Okuma
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Urban Native Era
Los Angeles-based Urban Native Era is a streetwear clothing brand designed to increase Indigenous visibility in the fashion industry. “Our designs are subtle and minimal but pull from our experience. Our most recent collection is our SOVEREIGN Collection which focuses on eco-friendly fabric and hardware to inclusivity in marketing,” says Joey Montoya, CEO of Urban Native Era.
Instagram: @urbannativeera
Facebook: /urbannativeera
Twitter: @urbannativeera
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Wild Plums Light Wool Scarf by Sarah Agaton Howes
Eighth Generation
With an artist-centric approach, Eighth Generation shares authentic, Native-designed wool blankets, apparel and accessories, homegoods and art. Known for being the first Native-owned business to sell Native-designed wool blankets, Eighth Generation is the ethical alternative to fake, “Native-inspired” products. With their collection of beautiful, high-quality items designed by Native artists across the United States and Canada, Eighth Generation seeks to uplift artists, educate consumers and beautify homes across the globe.
Instagram: @eighthgeneration
Facebook: /eighthgeneration
Twitter: @8thgen
TikTok: eighthgeneration
YouTube: Eighth Generation
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Night & Day Mask by Rebekah Jarvey | Model: Caitlin Iron Man | MUA: Skye Iron Man | Photographer: Shannon Burnette-Meek
Rebekah Jarvey
Rebekah Jarvey is a self-proclaimed Indigenous fashionista. Her art/fashion career took off during the pandemic after her flashy Night & Day mask went viral on social media, attracting people and publications from around the world. Jarvey mixes her traditional tribal heritage with her crafting skills to create modern, urban and authentic masks and ribbon skirts with her signature hashtag #RibbonDrip. Jarvey also started the campaign #NativeWoke to inspire the Native American community to wear masks, social distance and help keep its people safe amidst Covid-19. “It’s crucial we act now and fight together,” she says. One-hundred percent of the proceeds from #NativeWoke merchandise go toward families in her community affected by the pandemic.
Instagram: @rebekah.jarvey
Facebook: /rebekahjarveysewist
TikTok: rebekahjarvey
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Photographer: Larry Price
Patricia Michaels
Patricia Michaels of PM Waterlily produces unique haute couture that transcends cultures and defies fashion trends. The award-winning designer was on season 11 of Project Runway where she won first runner-up. She’s also received the prestigious Arts and Design Award from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian board of directors in New York City.
Growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Michaels was continuously surrounded by the beauty of the land, culture and art, all of which influence her aesthetic today. Her Native American culture is deeply rooted in New Mexico. She’s also a long-time featured artist in the SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market.
Instagram: @patriciamichaels
Facebook /pmwaterlilyfashion
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Photographer: Elisa Ivers | Model: Orianna Greenberg
Moonture
Native fashion brand Moonture seeks to create art and design “at the intersection of cultural intention and coherent emotion.” Moonture lead designer Maka Monture Paki says, “Drawing from our Lingít/Kanien’kehá:ka and Māori heritage, we center the soul of [our] work in intention, energy and mana…We have crowdsourced thematic layers from our Moonture family and some of the descriptions and colors have included darkly feminine, culturally guided, connection, flashes of light…[and] matriarchal resilience and power.” Through their jewelry, they attempt to communicate Tlingit and Māori cultural perspectives that often feel intangible.
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Photographer: Kristina Dittmar
Warren Steven Scott
Warren Steven Scott is a contemporary designer, tailor and craftsperson, and a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation. The 33-year-old from Toronto launched his namesake label in 2018 with his first collection as a part of the inaugural Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto. The brand was created to sustain and celebrate Scott’s Indigenous culture and create a community united by contemporary design. Scott’s artistic methodology roots itself in ideas surrounding Western concepts of luxury fashion and his ancestral worldview on ethics, craft and aesthetic sensibility. “For the past five years, I have maintained a design and craft-based practice, using materials such as textiles, acrylic and metal, and implementing techniques such as sewing, laser-cutting and pattern drafting,” he says. “Through an Indigenous lens, my work examines the tension between tradition and innovation.”
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