Ahead of Santa Fe Indian Market, we’re featuring the designers whose lines will be shown at the SWAIA Haute Couture Fashion Show. Here we spotlight Decontie & Brown.
Who: Jason K. Brown (Penobscot) and Donna Decontie-Brown (Penobscot/Algonquin)
What: Decontie & Brown
Web: www.decontiebrown.com
The line: “Our style has been called avant-garde. If something we create makes you feel good, makes you feel fabulous or strong, then it’s for you.”
The story: Jason Brown (Penobscot) and Donna Decontie-Brown (Penobscot/Algonquin) are the driving force behind Decontie & Brown. Creating together for 20 years, this husband-and-wife team draw inspiration from their culture and their experience in the luxury jewelry industry to create beautiful trendsetting designs with a Native American influence.
The designers say: “With a uniquely rich culture and natural environment, we find it almost a compulsion to create both adornment and fashion that are fully inspired by these elements,” Jason says. “We are honored to present beautiful and trendsetting designs rooted in the time-honored traditions of handcrafted elegance.”
“Through fashion, we can expand on design ideas and cultural concepts,” says Donna. “It’s very exciting when our adornment has inspired haute couture and together they harmoniously and sometimes boldly tell a story of the Wabanaki.”*
Click on the image above to view the slideshow.
The new collection: “Our garments will be unexpected and unbound by the rules of fashion.”
Showing at the SWAIA Haute Couture Fashion Show: “From a sidewalk to the largest Native American fashion show in the world, Amber-Dawn Bear Robe and SWAIA have worked tirelessly to create a credible space for Native designers to showcase their talent and culture.”
*The Wabanaki Confederacy are a First Nations and Native American confederation of five principal nations: the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Abenaki, and Penobscot.
For more information on the SWAIA Haute Couture Fashion Show, visit the event’s website.
Photography: Courtesy Decontie & Brown