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!

Ribbon Skirts | Clothing, Strength, and Sacredness

"When you put your skirt on, you're showing Mother Earth who you are." - Myra Laramee (Fisher River Cree Nation)

Last fall, when the Water Protectors stood in solidarity with Standing Rock, I was fortunate to visit the camps on multiple occasions. In preparation for my first visit, I was advised to wear a long skirt because the grounds are sacred and ceremonies were being conducted constantly. The frontline warriors and their supporters needed constant prayers and sacred protection for this dangerous yet important fight.

P4xBBB Style Mixer Recap and Musings

I believe that when you combine fashion designers, stylish folks, music, and a space to mingle, magic can happen. And by magic, I mean creativity gets ignited, inspiration is spread, support is affirmed. These elements are critical to maintaining a Native American fashion movement. I'm not the only one who believes this. Beyond Buckskin recently teamed up with Navajo fashion bloggers (and academics, scholars, and professionals) Presence 4.0 to host our second style event in Phoenix during the annual Heard Indian Market.

We were honored to have Jared Yazzie of OXDX Clothing, Kevin Dakota Duncan of Painted Warrior Designs, Sun Rose Iron Shell of Warrior Status, and Nanibaa Beck of Notabove Jewelry in attendance to share their designs with us.

Go Native 2014

It’s a new year, it’s a new day. Let’s launch a new trend. Let’s breathe energy into our current Native American renaissance. Let’s go Native.

The expression ‘to go Native’ has been around for a while, and roughly means (from a non-Indigenous settler perspective) to take on the lifestyle or outlook of the local inhabitants that is different from one’s own.

In the past, to ‘go Native’ has had some very negative connotations: according to dictionaries, it has meant “to adopt the lifestyle of the local population, especially when it appears less civilized” or “to imitate the behavior of a surrounding culture, especially behavior that seems simple or natural.” (We know this is incorrect; we know our Indigenous cultures are complex, beautiful, full of wisdom and civility). But what if we rethink this concept?

Top 10 | Our First Beyond Buckskin Baby Contest

The first-ever Beyond Buckskin baby contest is in full swing and inching towards the finale - voting ends Sunday, June 23 at 11:59pm CST.

180 adorable babies have been entered into the competition so far, and the top ten are below. There is still time to enter your baby into the contest, or to cast your vote. Vote by accessing the official contest album and clicking 'Like' on a picture that you think should win. And, if you should ever find yourself in a grumpy mood, scroll through all the cuteness to lighten your spirits.

Lookbook Shoot Behind the Scenes

2013 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Beyond Buckskin!

I have spent the past couple weeks traveling, and we just wrapped up a stunning photoshoot in downtown LA and in the Angeles National Forest.

Organized and styled by Bethany Yellowtail (Crow/Northern Cheyenne), the images were shot by Thosh Collins (Pima/Osage) and spotlighted Native models Martin Sensmeier (Tlingit) and Blake Sisk (Osage).

Fashion HEAT | Jamie Okuma

You've undoubtedly seen her work before - either in feature articles in magazines, or in a viral Facebook picture of some killer fully-beaded boots, or at the Heard and Santa Fe Indian Markets snatching up the Best of Show ribbon. Her name is Jamie Okuma, and she is one young, cool beadwork artist who is making waves in the art and fashion worlds. She's a true genius, and whether you're into 'traditional' Native quill and beadwork clothing, or rockin' contemporary Native chic, we all flip when we see her work.

Okuma showed her first fashion collection at the Fashion HEAT event held in August, and I caught up with her to ask her about the show.

BB Facebook | Best of September

I post a lot of fashion news on the Beyond Buckskin Facebook Fan Page. It's a great way to share info quickly without having to prep and write an entire post on it.

However, if I only post it to Facebook, well, Facebook has a tendency to swallow good images, links to articles or videos. And who wants to do all that scrolling to dig it up again?

So I've started a 'Best of' post for each month where I highlight some of the coolest images, the most interesting articles, the biggest misappropriators, and the neatest videos. So, now that we're a week into October, it's safe to look back at September and pick out some good ones, so, fashionistas, here you go:

Video | Mni Sota

It's the weekend! I know you should be out frolicking, but in case you are not, watch a video! Check out this great video interview with Dyani Reynolds-White Hawk, one of the curators of the art show, Mni Sota: Reflections of Time and Place. The exhibit showcases the skill and beauty of over a dozen artists whose creativity promotes cultural continuity.

"The artists of Mni Sota provide stunning examples of ways in which Native Artists of the Minnesota region continue to embrace the contemporary while supporting tradition."


Click here to read more about Mni Sota.

Designer Profile | Jamie Gentry

Jamie Gentry is a member of the Kwakwaka'wakw Nation located in British Columbia. She is a mother of three boys and the brains behind the children's clothing company, Love In Everything.

She makes one-of-a-kind children's clothes and baby items that fuse her Native cultural background with upcycled or recycled fabrics, making each item unique. She also brings in a nice dose of enviro-consciousness with her selection of eco-friendly (and skin friendly!) organic materials.

Artist Profile | JT Willie

Navajo artist JT Willie is the brains and creativity behind JTW Bead Designs.

I first saw Willie's work at the Santa Fe Indian Market a couple years back. His designs are striking and bright. My favorite work of his would have to be his jewelry that combines silverwork with beadwork.

Originally from Twin Lakes, New Mexico, Willie started beading as a teenager, learning techniques from his family, beaders, steamstress, and silversmiths. At the age of 16, he learned the style of beadwork from the Kiowa and Comanche Tribes of Oklahoma. He researches different styles of beadwork and incorporates them into his own unique style.

Support Native Made, Not Native Knock-Offs

With Native American cultures inspiring and influencing the broader fashion industry these days (you can see it splattered all over fashion magazines and catalogues), I think it's time we start including (actual) Native American artists in this movement, rather than just our awesome inspiring cultures. I mean, we (the people) still exist.

And this is one of the reasons why I decided to launch the Boutique.

Virgil Ortiz's Translator

Virgil Ortiz never ceases to amaze. His projects and ideas are always developing and pushing Native American pottery and fashion to new places.

His latest projects reimagine the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, catapulting the historic event hundreds of years into the future and underlining the importance of the past by making it relevant today and projecting it into the future.

Designer Profile | Shayne Watson

Navajo designer Shayne Watson is inspired by the teachings of his grandmother, a Navajo seamstress. At only the age of 25, Watson's career is off to a great start. His award-winning outfits are created with traditional styles in mind (think: Navajo velvet and broomstick skirts), but with a contemporary twist, and he often uses unconventional color schemes and patterns - so you get to see blouses in lime green and dresses in tangerine peach.

For Watson, fashion isn't just an outlet for his creativity; it's a way for him to explore his cultural heritage. Watson said he has been designing clothes for several years in the way his grandmother taught him.

Designer Profile | Genevieve Hardy

Genevieve J. Hardy is a Navajo traditional wool dress weaver from Fort Defiance, Arizona. Hardy comes from a family of weavers: her grandparents were weavers and her mother Mary is also a weaver.

Growing up surrounded by weaving, Hardy put herself in front of the loom when she was a young teenager. In high school, she took courses in sewing, drawing and clothing-making and decided to use this knowledge to perfect her skills in making outfits.

As an adult, Hardy combined her weaving with sewing and made clothing for her children and relatives. Hardy also created traditional Navajo rug dresses for her daughters' graduations.

Some History | Faw Faw Coats

The Peabody Essex Museum currently has an Oto Faw Faw Coat on display for their Shapeshifting: Transformations in Native American Art exhibition (left image from Wicked Local Photo by Nicole Goodhue Boyd).

The coat is associated with a religion led by William Faw Faw (Oto), who taught his followers to reject European influences and return to traditional ways. Movements such as this one were common among Native tribes at the turn of the century, when their ways of life were forcibly coming to an end.

Interestingly, the coat follows the tailoring of European coat styles and is made using non-Native materials: wool cloth, glass beads, metal, and sequins. Yet, despite the materials, the coat is distinctively Native.

Designer Profile | Yvonne Jobin

Yvonne Jobin is a Cree First Nations artist and designer based out of Calgary, Alberta, where she operates her business Moonstone Creation.

Jobin's knowledge of traditional Cree culture and art is reflected in the clothing and accessories that she makes for her business. Using traditional materials and techniques (such as for her jackets that are made of smoked tanned hide), Jobin continues the practices of the Cree people before her. She says she is dedicated to preserving and teaching her culture through the arts and with the use of authentic materials of her ancestors.

Designer Profile | Lisa Shepherd

Taanshi Kiya’wow!

When I came across the website of Métis designer Lisa Shepherd and saw that greeting, I got very excited and wanted to learn more about this artist and her work.

Lisa Shepherd grew up in the Alberta prairies. She studied art throughout high school and college, and attended the University College of the Fraser Valley, graduating with a degree in Apparel Design in the Fine Arts Department. She says, "It isn’t by mistake that today I am designing, stitching and beading intricate moccasins, jewellery and garments." Indeed it seems as though her path to becoming an artist was always under her feet.

Some History | Some Stylin' Indians | Christianne Morris (Micmac)

Christianne Morris (Micmac) was known for her exquisite work in the traditional arts, supporting her family by the sale of quillwork and basketry.

Her needlework, quillwork, splint basketry, and even a full-sized canoe and paddles all won first prizes at various provincial exhibitions. She once sold two beaded costumes to Indian Commissioner William Chearnley for the impressive sum of $300.

From the portraits and works of art that survive her, we can see that she was a beautiful and gifted Native woman.

In the image below, she wears an ensemble of garments and accessories that she made her self. The outfit consists of a beaded peaked hat, a jacket, a woollen skirt appliquéd with ribbon, and beaded moccasins. She stands with her adopted son, and it is likely that she created his outfit as well.

That Is One Mega-Cute Baby Bonnet

‎Pictured above is American fashion designer Tom Ford with the 2011 Santa Fe Indian Market Native American Clothing Contest Best of Show Winner and the First Place Contemporary Adult Female Winner (in Santa Fe at the annual August Indian Market event).

Ford said that he particularly was pleased with the recipient of the first-place award for Contemporary Female Adult, Naomi Bebo Maybee (Menominee/Hochunk), who wore a Japanese-Native American fusion kimono with ledger art applique, designed by her mother-in-law, Toni Williams. He was also pleased with 1-year-old Persephone Maybee, daughter of Naomi and artist Dallin Maybee (Arapaho/Seneca), who took Female Best in Show with a head-to-toe outfit created by her father. The little pink ensemble included a split horn baby bonnet and elk tooth dress with matching beadwork.