One of the highlights of Santa Fe Indian Market every August is the Sunday afternoon fashion show. Hundreds of people line up for tickets, media fly in from around the country, celebrities are seated in the front row and the designers bring their hottest new work—it’s one big party to close out the market.
A model wears designs by Jason Baerg and Melanie Monique Rose during the 2023 SWAIA fashion show in August. Photo by Tira Howard Photography.
Beginning this year, that one single fashion show is being expanded to a week of events for the inaugural SWAIA Native Fashion Show running from May 2 to 5 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In addition to at least four runway shows, the event will also include VIP receptions and parties, a fashion showroom and activation spaces, trunk shows and a fashion symposium.
Fifteen designers will be showing their new collections, and they range from designers in the Southwest to the Northwest Coast to First Nations in Canada. They will be showing a variety of designs, from streetwear and athletic wear to couture and fashion art. “It’s a great mixture,” says Amber-Dawn Bear Robe (Siksika Nation), the show’s producer and director. “You’re going to see a little bit of everything, including fashion that blurs the line between fashion and art.”
Amber-Dawn Bear Robe greets fashion crowds in 2023. Photo by Tira Howard Photography.
The purpose of the show is to both highlight Native American and Indigenous designers from all around North America, but to also show that “they are designers, period,” Bear Robe says. “These are artists and designers that have very special artistic and creative visions that are unique to Native North America.”
Two events worth highlighting are the Native American Art VIP launch party, a ticketed event at La Fonda on the Plaza, and the symposium, both held on May 3. “The symposium is important because it will allow designers and people in the industry to connect, support, uplift and collaborate with each other. We really want them to get in deep, not just surface level,” Bear Robe says, adding that one likely discussion will involve the development of Indigenous fashion theory as a curriculum. “Right now, one doesn’t exist, and it should exist.”
Designs by Lauren Good Day in 2023. Photo by Tira Howard Photography.Many of the events of SWAIA Native Fashion Show will be held at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, although certain other events will be held at other nearby locations.
Guests are encouraged to check the website as events are added and more details become available.
May 2-5, 2024
SWAIA Native Fashion Week in Santa Fe
- Mini Fashion Symposium, May 3, location TBD
- Native American Art VIP Launch Party, May 3, 6:30-10:30 p.m., La Fonda on the Plaza, Lumpkins Ballroom
- Fashion shows and activation spaces, May 4, noon-8 p.m., Santa Fe Community Convention Center
- Fashion shows and activation spaces, May 5, noon-7 p.m., Santa Fe Community Convention Center
- Industry Showroom, May 6, time and location TBD
www.swaia.org, www.swaianativefashion.org
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