A Study in Inspiration

Well we officially hit the one year anniversary of launching our Native American Jewelry of the Month club. We've had so much fun putting each box together!

For this month, I wanted to offer up a case study of inspiration. There is this magnificent old jingle dress, made by Mary Bigwind from White Earth over 80 years ago, stuck in my mind. It was a simple sleeveless dress, with less than 5 rows of tin cone jingles on black velvet. It’s so chic and elegant, but also, you can feel the healing power vibrating out of the image.

The Red Dress, II (2019)

This dress is fashioned after the traditional buckskin dresses of the Northern Plains, but made with velvet in powerful electric red. It is striking.

The necklace is fully beaded and is a collaboration piece done with Tyra Jerome. It is based on the floral beadwork of our People, the Anishinaabe, the original people, the Human Beings. The old folks say that beadwork patterns tell stories, and the placement of the flowers next to one another could reference a certain location where those plants grow, or even a medicinal recipe. Colors also confer ideas of serenity, strength, or rebirth.

United Tribes Tribal Leaders Summit | Small Business Resources

I am here at the United Tribes Tribal Leaders Summit in Bismarck, ND. I'm sitting here, in our Beyond Buckskin booth, typing this post, in between meeting and greeting new and old friends. I love this particular conference because it draws leaders from this region into one space that is simultaneously big, but also intimate. It is a great chance to meet up with the people who are - to put it frankly - leaders. They are leading programs, initiatives, policies, and businesses focused on health, cultural consulting, economic development, media, education, and more.

Backstage | Photos From Our Latest Event

We had so much fun at our fashion show last week held at the Sky Dancer Casino in Belcourt, ND!

We were invited by the Tribal Nations Research Group to host an evening fashion show, and we gladly accepted.

You can scroll down to see some of the pictures that we snapped backstage featuring all the looks shown on the runway. From streetwear to couture, shellwork to beadwork, snapbacks to ribbon shirts, we showcased a variety of designs!

7 Ways to Rock the Thunderbird Sky Midi Dress

We teamed up with Tammy Beauvais Designs and Miss Turtle Mountain Tehya Azure to play around with 7 ways to wear the same amazing dress!

The Thunderbird Sky Midi Dress by Tammy Beauvais features an all-over Native American woodlands floral beadwork design with a flattering silhouette.

We layered the dress with different jackets, crop tops, skirts, belts, tights, boots, and other accessories that we had laying around, and we fell in love with each look!

Artist Profile | Tessa Sayers

We are so excited to introduce you to our newest talented artist, Tessa Sayers, who is the owner and designer of a lifestyle brand called Soul Curiosity.

She is Ojibwe, Cree, and Metis, and I met her a year ago in Portland. She was playing with the idea of launching her own business, and we are so glad she did!

We sat down with her to chat a bit more about how she got started, and what inspires her the most.