We’re previewing the much-anticipated SWAIA Virtual Fashion Show and going behind the scenes with featured designer Orlando Dugi, one of the hottest names in Indigenous fashion.
Around this time of year, Amber-Dawn Bear Robe (Siksika Nation) is going nuts and loving every minute of it. This particular pandemic year, the frenzy is even more intense than usual because the much-anticipated fashion show Bear Robe produces during Indian Market will take place virtually for the first time.
The main event of SWAIA Virtual Fashion Show 2020 is a physically distanced in-person show of the fabulous pieces of featured designer Orlando Dugi (Navajo) on August 9; that live event will be filmed for a virtual fashion show that will debut Sunday, August 16. His new collection — ORLANDO DUGI 2020 Capsule Collection — comprises nine new designs and is all hand-sewn.
In the run-up to the August 16 streaming of the main show, designer spotlights will be released each day of the SWAIA Virtual Market, from Monday, August 10, to Saturday, August 15. New designer spotlights feature Delina White (Ojibwe), Korina Emmerich (Coast Salish Territory, Puyallup), Sage Paul (English River First Nation), Catherine Blackburn (Dene), Skawennati (Mohawk), and Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo) in the process of making and presenting new designs.
The August 16 streaming of the fashion show and designer spotlights will be accompanied by a short film on Orlando Dugi (clips below) and a live-streamed Q&A with the designer — all available virtually on swaia.org.
Here are some SWAIA-provided designer statements/bios. Check back at cowboysindians.com and swaia.org for updates and more information on free and ticketed virtual fashion events and Indian Market artist and e-commerce sites.
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Behind the Scenes With Orlando Dugi (Navajo)
Orlando Dugi is a Santa Fe-based fashion house. Chic and embellished, Dugi’s meticulous handcrafted pieces are inspired by and rooted in Diné (Navajo) heritage. Go behind the scenes with Dugi in these videos of him at work in his Santa Fe studio. (Stills and videos by filmmaker Kaela Waldstein, Mountain Mover Media.)
Dugi uses a single bead stitch technique utilizing the smallest beads, drawing attention to detail and precision. From floral motifs to birds and animals, the human physique, and abstract designs, Dugi’s images are lifelike and cutting edge. His work embodies a fresh statement through beads and fine materials such as silks, crocodile leather, crystals, feathers, velvet, gold, and gems. Ideas of elegance, fashion, and creativity are evident in every piece of evening wear and accessory he creates.
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“Beauty before me, beauty behind me, beauty below me, beauty above me, beauty all around me; I walk in beauty.” Garments made by hand, woven of wool or sewn of cotton or silk using traditional techniques in dyeing, weaving, and ornamented with an assortment of accessories, to adorn the body, have always been a part of Navajo culture. And a commitment to continuing those traditions and sharing them with women is evident in the extravagant fashion created at ORLANDO DUGI.
To connect with Orlando Dugi, visit his website or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo)
Patricia Michaels of Taos Pueblo is a world-renowned fashion and textile designer. She has her AA, Institute of American Indian Arts, four-year independent studies at Chicago Art Institute, with Nick Cave as her mentor, worked at Santa Fe Opera costume department and with an Italian tailor in Italy.
She was on Season 11 of Project Runway, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian awarded her the inaugural Arts & Designs Award and was a speaker at the Bill and Melinda Gates Scholar Foundation, among many other accolades
Her work as a Native CEO of her PMWaterlily LLC, takes her around the world to places like New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, Europe, USA, and at least twice a year to New York for fashion week; to do fashion, lectures, presentations, workshops, fundraisers, artist-in-residency, and inspirational speeches.
She has a home collection with Akin Homes and uniforms for Hotel Chaco. Her biggest driving force is her two beautiful children, Gabriel and Margeaux, the elderly, youth, and empowering women. Her cottage industry encourages a woman’s voice and support organizations like Community Against Violence, American Indian College Fund, Big Brother & Big Sister, Art Smart, Preservation of Native Culture and Natural Resources.
She is currently being filmed for an unscripted TV series about her and her companion James’ lives. She also sits on Taos Historical Museum Board and her works are in museums, museum shops, and boutique galleries throughout the U.S. She considers social media and public relations key to keeping the original Native voice authentic.
To connect with Patricia Michaels, visit her website or follow her on Facebook or Instagram.
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Korina Emmerich (Coast Salish Territory, Puyallup)
Korina Emmerich has built her Brooklyn, New York-based brand, EMME, on the backbone of “expression, art, and culture,” leading the charge to embrace art and design as one and weaving it into her brand story. Her colorful work is known to reflect her Indigenous heritage stemming from the Coast Salish Territory, Puyallup tribe. With a strong focus on social justice and speaking out about industry responsibility and accountability, Emmerich has cultivated a loyal following and successful path as a truly unique contemporary fashion designer and artist.
The EMME team stands with the Fashion Revolution movement and The Sustainable Development Goals and the belief in sustainable action, human rights, fair wage, and transparency in the industry.
“All of our items are made-to-order in our Brooklyn, New York, studio. We are strict on our minimal-waste policy and are always trying to find ways to reinvent ‘leftovers’ and ‘scrap’ material and turn them into fabulous fashions!”
To connect with Korina Emmerich, visit her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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Catherine Blackburn (Dene)
Catherine Blackburn was born in Patuanak Saskatchewan, of Dene and European ancestry and is a member of the English River First Nation. She is a multidisciplinary artist and jeweler, whose common themes address Canada’s colonial past that are often prompted by personal narratives.
Her art merges contemporary concepts with elements of traditional Dene culture that create dialogue between traditional art forms and new interpretations of them. Her work has been exhibited in notable national and international exhibitions and fashion runways including Àbadakone, National Gallery of Canada, Santa Fe Haute Couture Fashion Show, Niigaanikwewag (2nd iteration), Art Gallery of Mississauga, and Art Encounters on the Edge, Bonavista Biennale, Newfoundland. She has received numerous grants and awards for her work, including the Saskatchewan RBC Emerging Artist Award, the Melissa Levin Emerging Artist Award, a publication in Vogue online magazine, as well as her inclusion on the 2019 Sobey Art Award longlist.
To connect with Catherine Blackburn, visit her website or follow her on Instagram.
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Delina White (Ojibwe)
Delina White is a Native apparel designer and traditional Anishinaabe Woodland floral beadwork artist and Indigenous-materials jewelry maker. She is a proud member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and lives on the Leech Lake Reservation [Minnesota]. Delina is the founder and owner of the Native apparel label IamAnishinaabe.
IamAnishinaabe is a Native- owned business built on the traditional philosophy of good health. Anishinaabe values are rooted in the belief of love; to treat everyone and yourself with kindness, forgiveness, and generosity. Delina approaches art as a medium to self-fulfillment — a way to wear the dignity and distinction of the original Great Lakes and Woodlands people.
To connect with Delina White, visit her website or follow her on Facebook or Instagram.
Sage Paul
Sage Paul is an urban Denesuliné tskwe based in Toronto and a member of English River First Nation. An award-winning artist and designer and a recognized leader of Indigenous fashion, craft, and textiles, she creates work that centers on family, sovereignty, and resistance for balance. Paul is also a founding collective member and artistic director of Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto.
Her art and design practice are conceptual, creating narrative-driven garments, crafts, and costumes for artistic presentation, fashion, film, TV, and theater. A sought-after and artistically diverse designer, she is creatively curious and informed, with excellent and resourceful craftsmanship and a strong, broad understanding for how she and her audiences interact with and feel fashion.
To connect with Sage Paul, visit her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Skawennati (Mohawk)
Born in Kahnawake Mohawk Territory, Skawennati graduated with a BFA from Concordia University in Montreal, where she is based. She is co-director of Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace (AbTeC), a research network of artists and academics who investigate and create Indigenous virtual environments. Their Skins workshops in Aboriginal Storytelling and Experimental Digital Media are aimed at empowering youth. In 2015 they launched IIF, the Initiative for Indigenous Futures.
Partnership coordinator, Initiative for Indigenous Futures
Co-director, Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace and Skins Workshops in Aboriginal Storytelling in Digital Media
To connect with Skawennati, visit her website or follow her on Facebook.
Photography: Images and videos courtesy ©Kaela Waldstien/ Mountain Mover Media, ©Gabriella Marks Photo for Santa Fe Indian Market