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January 20, 2016

Top 5 Native American Fashion Designers' Sites to Visit Now

What are some of the coolest online Native American fashion stores to scope out while you're surfing the web? We've compiled a short list of our favorite sites that we'd like you to check out now: they feature awesome fashion, from chic streetwear to luxe leather accessories to some fabulous and fancy higher-end pieces.

While we only spotlight 5 designers below, you can view a much larger selection at this link. Also, feel free to share your favorite Native-owned fashion shops in the comments section below to help spread the love!

Our list begins with Alano Edzerza, and ends with the NTVS, and we have Jamie Okuma, Virgil Ortiz, and Bethany Yellowtail to round it all out! From tees to specialty dresses and high-end leather accessories, we've got some super great picks that I hope you'll enjoy exploring. Scroll down to see more.


Edzerza Gallery
Headed up the multi-talented Alano Edzerza, this site features his streetwear, jewelry, and artwork in one space. Based out of Vancouver, and trained in the practices of traditional Native American Northwest Coast art, Edzerza's work is bold and modern, and perfect for people of all backgrounds. His limited edition tunics, tees, leggings and hoodies are popular among the First Nations cool crowd. Prices for his apparel ranges from $10.99 to $399.



J.Okuma
From the creative hands of Jamie Okuma, this site features limited edition art to wear (dresses), art to adorn (scarves and necklaces), and art to carry (purses). Okuma, who is LuiseƱo and Shoshone Bannock, draws inspiration from traditional Plateau beadwork and parfleche designs. Her dresses and scarves are made from silk fabric digitally printed with her original artwork, her necklaces are modern and minimalist renditions of rawhide parfleche, and she frequently embellishes her purses with floral beadwork, metal spikes, or fringe. Prices for her necklaces start at just $65, while prices for her one-of-a-kind purses are around $2,500.



Virgil Ortiz
Dark and sexy, with a dash of futuristic punk, you've got to put Virgil Ortiz's fashion on your top "to buy" list. Ortiz grew up experimenting with clay and learning traditional Cochiti pottery techniques, but his creativity quickly spread to fashion when he started making specialty items for himself to wear to suit his own unique style. That style morphed into full fashion collections, which often included the color black combined with slick leather and bold tribal patterns. His latest project, the Rez Spine collection of leather accessories, ranges in price from the $175 Wallet + Card Holder to the kick-ass Moto Duffle for $1,725.



B.Yellowtail
Sophisticated ready-to-wear, the B.Yellowtail collection of dresses, skirts, and accessories are perfect for those special occasions when you need to make a (fashion) statement. From elk teeth and ledger art, to floral beadwork and fringe, Bethany Yellowtail's recent collections are inspired by her home communities of the Crow and Northern Cheyenne people. Yellowtail has a flair for taking these inspiration points and incorporating them into her clean, elegant, and on-trend aesthetic. Currently based out of Los Angeles, she takes advantage of this fashion mecca and sources high-quality materials and fabrics, yet always returns to Montana to nurture and fuel her creative spirit. From the $150 Miss Crow Nation Floral Tunic to the Crow Rose Suede Slip Dress for $660, invest in a special timeless piece to grow with your wardrobe.



NTVS
Last, but not least, the NTVS bring us some ultra-cool streetwear that blends pop culture icons with Native patterns, feathers, and funny slogans, and we sure hope they do another collaboration with Steven Paul Judd! We love their options for soft tanks, baseball-style tees, hoodies and more - they even have baby onesies. Oh for cute! Their gear ranges in price from $14 to $45 - which is a steal, so snatch up some fresh threads now (or, better yet, get on their newsletter list to be the first to shop new releases).

Have fun surfing the sites and shopping the selections!