House of Darylene

Navajo fashion designer Darylene Martin founded Martini Couture in the summer of 2008. This first exploration into fashion design was inspired by the idea of a Navajo martini - a party-inspired concoction of dresses, shirts and accessories that had a distinct hip, upscale classy mixture of colors and silhouettes.

A smart designer, Martin is expanding her business to a house of design that consists of her first label, Martini Couture, along with two new branches: Summer Rain and Savage Beauty. The Summer Rain collection is inspired by her Native heritage and the elegance of the Navajo concept of 'Walking in Beauty'. The Savage Beauty line is a bold and sexy (and sometimes punk) interpretation of an urban Native woman.

Darylene Martin in The Red Issue

I don't know how I missed this!

One of my favorite designers, Darylene Martin (Navajo), was featured in Initial Magazine, The Red Issue, back in December.

Based out of Phoenix, Initial Magazine was created to publish stories about inspiring individuals and businesses that improve society by their positive influences.

Here's the section on Martin, but click here to flip through the whole mag online.

Event | Native Fashion Show to Honor Women

The American Indian Graduate Student Association (AIGSA) will be hosting a fashion show to kick off the Arizona State University Powwow in Tempe next weekend.

Featured designers include Marco Arviso, Kevin Duncan, House of Darylene, Dineh Couture, Earle Couture, Glacsy, Genevieve Hardy, Cher Thomas, Shayne Watson and Kevin Whitehat.

The theme for the second annual show is 'Our Past, Our Present Woven Together: Honoring Our Native Women in Fashion.' Brenda Norrell at Censored News explains: "The theme highlights the strength of Native women, which is drawn from their Native cultures, values, and traditions and uniquely woven into their daily modern lives.