Dive Brief:
- The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts held its second annual Native Fashion Week from May 7 to May 11 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in partnership with Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week.
- The event featured 24 designers and two days of runway shows. In addition, Native Fashion Week Santa Fe was held May 8–11 in the Santa Fe Railyard, at Warehouse 21 and on the Sky Railway train, and featured 30 designers across two days of runway shows, per a spokesperson.
- The five-day fashion week was one day longer than its inaugural show last year, and organizers said their goal is to eventually make it a week-long event.
Dive Insight:
This marks VIFW’s first time as co-producer of the now stand-alone SWAIA Native Fashion Week. VIFW previously partnered with SWAIA on a Sunday fashion show, produced as a side event to the Santa Fe Indian Market, which originated in 2014 and is held every summer.
Runway shows at SWAIA Native Fashion Week ran from May 9 to May 11 at the Santa Fe Convention Center. They included presentations from Lauren Good Day, Cheryl Fennell, Stevens & Snyder and Robyn McLeod.
Guests included designers, retailers and models, as well as fashion industry members such as Cindy Morris, Dallas Market Center CEO.
Separately, at Native Fashion Week Santa Fe, designers presented more than 600 looks across two full days of runway shows. Designers included Apache Skateboards, Original Landlords, Emme Studio and Nonamey.
Some designers also presented at both events.
Among those in attendance at Native Fashion Week Santa Fe were cast members of the AMC television show “Dark Winds,” as well as Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)
The final show featured former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland of the Laguna Pueblo nation, walking the runway for Patricia Michaels.
The weekend also included pop-up shops, activation spaces and design collaborations, as well as a party held at the Governor’s Mansion in Santa Fe.
SWAIA Native Fashion Week also held an industry day, designed to bring together designers, buyers, stylists and industry leaders for immersive conversations about fashion and its global influence.
“The week, with all its events, was a powerful success for our community, driving economic impact for the City of Santa Fe and bringing Native/Indigenous fashion on the global stage,” Jamie Schulze, executive director of SWAIA, said in a statement. “Our partnership with the esteemed Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week deepened cross-border collaboration and cultural exchange. Together, we are building a vibrant and sustainable future for the Native fashion community and fashion audiences worldwide.”
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the two separate events during Native Fashion Week, SWAIA Native Fashion Week and Native Fashion Week Santa Fe.
