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Vogue
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
In Santa Fe, Native Fashion Week Was a Celebration of Community
This past weekend, you could easily spot flocks of stylish Indigenous folks parading across Santa Fe, New Mexico—all decked out in their finest gowns, dentalium shell necklaces, and beaded earrings. The occasion for such peacocking? Santa Fe Native Fashion Week, a jam-packed weekend presenting new contemporary collections from Indigenous designers across North America. With tentpole events such as SWAIA Native Fashion Week and Native Fashion Week Santa Fe taking over the entire city, well-clad crowds gathered to celebrate and witness the innovative new shows—all of which stemmed from an exciting mix of artists from various regions and tribes. While the Santa Fe Indian Market in August remains Santa Fe's main draw, its Native Fashion Week (now in its second year) is fast becoming a hot ticket, too. Over 50 Indigenous designers took part in the weekend, each one debuting avant-garde creations with a poignant cultural flair. While the aesthetics and sensibilities of the designers ranged drastically, a similar spirit united them all—one of maintaining traditional Indigenous stories, motifs, and craftwork techniques in thrilling new ways.
The Independent
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Indigenous fashion week in Santa Fe, New Mexico, explores heritage in silk and hides
Fashion designers from across North America are bringing inspiration from their Indigenous heritage, culture and everyday lives to three days of runway modeling starting Friday in a leading creative hub and marketplace for Indigenous art. A fashion show affiliated with the century-old Santa Fe Indian Market is collaborating this year with a counterpart from Vancouver, Canada, in a spirit of Indigenous solidarity and artistic freedom. A second, independent runway show at a rail yard district in the city has nearly doubled the bustle of models, makeup and final fittings. Three days of runway shows set to music will have models that include professionals and family, dancers and Indigenous celebrities from TV and the political sphere. Clothing and accessories rely on materials ranging from of silk to animal hides, featuring traditional beadwork, ribbons and jewelry with some contemporary twists that include digitally rendered designs and urban Native American streetwear from Phoenix. 'Native fashion, it's telling a story about our understanding of who we are individually and then within our communities,' said Taos Pueblo fashion designer Patricia Michaels, of 'Project Runway' reality TV fame. 'You're getting designers from North America that are here to express a lot of what inspires them from their own heritage and culture.' Santa Fe style The stand-alone spring fashion week for Indigenous design is a recent outgrowth of haute couture at the summer Santa Fe Indian Market, where teeming crowds flock to outdoor displays by individual sculptors, potters, jewelers and painters. Designer Sage Mountainflower remembers playing in the streets at Indian Market as a child in the 1980s while her artist parents sold paintings and beadwork. She forged a different career in environmental administration, but the world of high fashion called to her as she sewed tribal regalia for her children at home and, eventually, brought international recognition. At age 50, Mountainflower on Friday is presenting her 'Taandi' collection — the Tewa word for 'Spring' — grounded in satin and chiffon fabric that includes embroidery patterns that invoke her personal and family heritage at the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo in the Upper Rio Grande Valley. 'I pay attention to trends, but a lot of it's just what I like,' said Mountainflower, who also traces her heritage to Taos Pueblo and the Navajo Nation. '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 designers are presenting at the invitation of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. Fashion plays a prominent part in Santa Fe's renowned arts ecosystem, with Native American vendors each day selling jewelry in the central plaza, while the Institute for American Indian Arts delivers fashion-related college degrees in May. This week, a gala at the New Mexico governor's mansion welcomed fashion designers to town, along with social mixers at local galleries and bookstores and plans for pop-up fashion stores to sell clothes fresh off the fashion runway. International vision A full-scale collaboration with Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week is bringing a northern, First Nations flair to the gathering this year with many designers crossing into the U.S. from Canada. Secwépemc artist and fashion designer Randi Nelson traveled to Santa Fe from the city of Whitehorse in the Canadian Yukon to present collections forged from fur and traditionally cured hides — she uses primarily elk and caribou. The leather is tanned by hand without chemicals using inherited techniques and tools. 'We're all so different,' said Nelson, a member of the Bonaparte/St'uxwtéws First Nation who started her career in jewelry assembled from quills, shells and beads. '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.' Urban Indian couture Phoenix-based jeweler and designer Jeremy Donavan Arviso said the runway shows in Santa Fe are attempting to break out of the strictly Southwest fashion mold and become a global venue for Native design and collaboration. A panel discussion Thursday dwelled on the threat of new tariffs and prices for fashion supplies — and tensions between disposable fast fashion and Indigenous ideals. Arviso is bringing a street-smart aesthetic to two shows at the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts runway and a warehouse venue organized by Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, from the Siksika Nation. 'My work is definitely contemporary, I don't choose a whole lot of ceremonial or ancestral practices in my work,' said Arviso, who is Diné, Hopi, Akimel O'odham and Tohono O'odham, and grew up in Phoenix. 'I didn't grow up like that. … I grew up on the streets.' Arviso said his approach to fashion resembles music sampling by early rap musicians as he draws on themes from major fashion brands and elements of his own tribal cultures. He invited Toronto-based ballet dancer Madison Noon for a 'beautiful and biting' performance to introduce his collection titled Vision Quest. Santa Fe runway models will include former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland of Laguna Pueblo, adorned with clothing from Michaels and jewelry by Zuni Pueblo silversmith Veronica Poblano.
CBC
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Four N.L. acts bring home East Coast Music Awards
Local musicians gathered to celebrate artistic achievements and the life of Shanneyganock's Mark Hiscock Shanneyganock's rendition of 'Music and Friends' rang through the Mary Browns Centre Thursday night, in the absence of the band's lifelong friend and founding member, Mark Hiscock. Hiscock died earlier this week at the age of 53. His accordion sat on a stool as the rest of the band played. The loss set a sombre tone for the East Coast Music Awards, which was held in St. John's this year for the first time in a decade. Host Tom Power also lauded Hiscock's legacy and the role Shanneyganock played in representing the province's music throughout the world. "He was this province's most iconic accordion player, a tremendous accordion player, musician, singer. A driving force in sharing and preserving the music of Newfoundland and Labrador," Power said. Still, the music played on — and the gala celebrated just that. Four Newfoundland and Labrador artists and groups were awarded for their musical achievements Thursday. Deantha Edmunds Deantha Edmunds brought home the night's first award for the province. "This award means more than I can say, actually, in words," said the Indigenous artist of the year winner. As an Inuk classical musician, Edmunds says Indigenous artists in the genre are not often recognized. She says this award is proof that her voice is being heard and her perspective is being shared. "That is why I do the work that I do," she said. "To try to show people some truth — who I am and how I walk through this world — and hopefully I can uplift people." Edmunds, who won a Juno Award for classical composition of the year in March, says her mantle will need some cleaning up now as she introduces some new hardware. The artist was joined by her daughter as she posed for some celebratory photos. "Our voices matter," Edmunds said before heading back to the awards gala. "Everybody has something special, and when you can find that and nurture that and celebrate it, there's nothing that can hold you back from doing whatever it is you want," she said. Kellie Loder Kellie Loder has become a household name in the province since their appearance on Canada's Got Talent in 2022. They won both of Thursday's TD fans' choice categories: one for entertainer of the year, and another for video of the year. "I love performing live," said Loder, referring to the entertainer award. "I feel like it's really where I excel and it's where I connect with the fans the most." "You can make record over record over record, and it's not the same as when you're on the stage and playing it," they told reporters. They said people from N.L. are very proud of their neighbours, so Loder said they met many people who bragged about casting a vote for the awards. "Without Newfoundland, I would not have a career," said Loder. "They are the backbone. They are the foundation that I, you know, hang my hammock on." The Ennis Sisters As Maureen Ennis puts it, The Ennis Sisters have been on "the most incredible road trip" for the last 28 years. The trio was given the lifetime achievement award at this year's East Coast Music Awards. "My most favourite part of the whole thing is that we've brought the stories and songs of Newfoundland and Labrador to every place we've been," said Maureen. Even though she says she feels too young, Karen Ennis said the award is an "incredible honour." Karen also used some of her acceptance speech to highlight the impact music class in the public school system had on her. "In school we took every music program that was available for us to take. It's so important to keep music in our schools. It matters," she said. According to Teresa Ennis, the musician's road is not an easy one to take. She says she owes The Ennis Sisters' success to the rich musical history of the province, and the community it has fostered. That sense of community was in the air when the group paid tribute to Shanneyganock's Mark Hiscock, who died earlier this week. "I just want to say that our dad, who we lost back in 2018, is somewhere right now with Mark Hiscock, and they're having a jam on the button accordion," Karen said before The Ennis Sisters walked off stage. The East Coast Music Awards showcases and conference continues through Sunday, May 11. More music and industry awards will be passed out then. Rum Ragged Rum Ragged took home an award for traditional release of the year for Paddy Hyde. Mark Manning thanked the East Coast Music Association, and the people who have helped the band, like their sound engineer and graphic designer, "We also want to thank our family, friends and teachers, our supporters. And especially the Newfoundland and Labrador singers and players who handed down their wealth of traditional music to us," Manning told the audience. "One of which in particular we're thinking of and remembering together here tonight. This one's for Mark and his family and his friends and his bandmates and his many fans."
