As SWAIA has ramped up its fashion components in recent years, questions have emerged from viewers about what is appropriate when it comes to non-Native American people buying and wearing clothing from Native American designers. The question we hear most often is, “Can I wear the items I’m seeing at Native American fashion shows?”
Dress by Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo). Photo by Tira Howard.
It’s a fair question, and one that originates with viewers who are sensitive to the designers’ heritage and also to the larger issue of cultural appropriation of items worn by Native American people.
It’s a question that was posed to Amber-Dawn Bear Robe (Siksika Nation), the director of SWAIA’s fashion events, who made it very clear that if the designers are offering clothing and accessories, they are generally for anyone to buy and wear. “The objects that designers don’t want the general public to wear won’t be sold on their websites,” she says. “What the designers make available is for everyone.”
Bear Robe adds that the designers at SWAIA Native Fashion Week or Santa Fe Indian Market are working professionals in the fashion industry so selling clothing, creating new fashion trends and allowing people to look amazing is what they are passionate about. “They want people to wear what they are making,” she says.
If viewers still have doubts about what is appropriate to buy, they are encouraged to reach out to the designers and ask questions. Many of the designers have contact pages on their personal and brand websites, and many are quite active on social media platforms like Instagram.
Buying and wearing these items not only supports the individual designers, but it also helps elevate their work within an industry where they are continuously getting more and more recognition.
So, to fashion show attendees and other interested viewers, shop away!
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