Fashion designers from across North America gathered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for a three-day Indigenous fashion week that began Friday, blending traditional heritage with contemporary artistry on the runway. The event took place within the vibrant setting of the Santa Fe Indian Market, a historic creative hub renowned for showcasing Indigenous art.
This year’s fashion show represented a special collaboration between the century-old Santa Fe Indian Market and Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week, reflecting a spirit of solidarity, innovation, and cultural pride among Indigenous communities across borders.
Designs from six Native fashion creators showcased a diverse array of styles and materials. Friday’s runway featured everything from silk parasols and quilted hoodies to knee-high fur boots and suede leather earrings that reached the waist. Models included professional catwalkers, Indigenous dancers, and well-known figures from television and politics.
The clothing collections incorporated materials such as wool trade cloth and animal hides, with traditional elements like beadwork, ribbons, and jewelry. However, designers also introduced modern touches, including digitally rendered motifs and Native American streetwear influenced by urban life in places like Phoenix.
“Native fashion, it’s telling a story about our understanding of who we are individually and then within our communities,” said Patricia Michaels, a Taos Pueblo designer recognized from the reality TV show Project Runway. “You’re getting designers from North America that are here to express a lot of what inspires them from their own heritage and culture.”
The Indigenous spring fashion week is a more recent addition to Santa Fe’s cultural calendar, evolving from the couture shows that take place during the summer Indian Market. That event continues to draw large crowds for its outdoor displays by Native sculptors, jewelers, potters, and painters.
Designer Sage Mountainflower, who has deep roots in the Indian Market as a child in the 1980s, shared her personal journey from a career in environmental administration to the global fashion stage. Sewing tribal regalia for her children reignited her creative path and led to her rise as a fashion designer.
On Friday, Mountainflower debuted her “Taandi” collection—named for the Tewa word meaning “Spring.” The line, built on satin and chiffon, features embroidered patterns inspired by her family’s legacy in Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo and her heritage from Taos Pueblo and the Navajo Nation.
“I pay attention to trends, but a lot of it’s just what I like,” Mountainflower explained. “This year it’s actually just looking at springtime and how it’s evolving. … It’s going to be a colorful collection.”
More than 20 Indigenous designers were invited to present their work by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, which organizes the fashion programming alongside the larger market.
Fashion is an integral part of Santa Fe’s cultural identity. Native American artisans sell handmade jewelry daily in the central plaza, and the Institute for American Indian Arts offers degree programs in fashion-related fields. Last week’s fashion festivities extended beyond the runway with a gala hosted at the New Mexico governor’s mansion, local gallery mixers, bookstore events, and plans for pop-up shops selling garments directly from the shows.
The partnership with Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week introduced a northern flair to the event, with First Nations designers from Canada bringing unique perspectives and materials. One of them was Secwépemc artist Randi Nelson, who traveled from Whitehorse in the Canadian Yukon to share her fur and hide-based creations. She works with traditionally cured elk and caribou leather, using chemical-free techniques passed down through generations.
“We’re all so different,” said Nelson, who also belongs to the Bonaparte/St’uxwtéws First Nation. “There’s not one pan-Indigenous theme or pan-Indigenous look. We’re all taking from our individual nations, our individual teachings, the things from our family, but then also recreating them in a new and modern way.”
The Santa Fe Indigenous Fashion Week continues to grow in scope and significance, honoring heritage while embracing innovation. Through a vibrant fusion of silk, hides, beadwork, and modern designs, it offers a powerful platform for Native voices and creative expression in the world of fashion.
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