Storytelling Through Fashion, Part 2

In this Part 2 episode of Beyond Buckskin: Storytelling Through Fashion, we continue our conversation with mother and daughter Angela and Amari LaRocque of Bineshi Ikwewag — uniquely crafted Indigenous-inspired clothing, jewelry, accessories, and art made by a family of Anishinaabe artists. 

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.

Jamie Okuma | New Fashion from Traditional Designs

We've seen many European and American fashion designers attempt to bring traditional Native American regalia into contemporary fashion, and fail miserably. The idea is exciting, but, how do we execute the concept in a way that honors our past, while celebrating creativity and authenticity?

Jamie Okuma has been knocking our fashion socks off for years now, and we are so pumped to see her latest creations. These items feature original traditional designs made by Okuma with beads, elk teeth, brass sequins, and feathers for her regalia.

Beyond Online: Announcing a New Retail and Studio Space

We are so excited to announce that as a part of our overall mission and goals, Beyond Buckskin will be launching our first storefront and studio space! It will be located in Belcourt, North Dakota, on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. This space is set to open with a celebration on May 7th, which will coincide with Beyond Buckskin’s annual online Anniversary Sale - a blazing 24-hour storewide sales event with amazing deals to thank customers for their year-long support. Please mark your calendars to join us in this in-person and online event!

Native Steez!: Nine Cool #nativefashion Images from Instagram

I love Instagram. I'm a visual person, and I love scrolling through the images posted by the good folks that I follow. I find it inspiring. I love searching certain hashtags too, like #quillwork and #beadwork, and I like looking through the images tagged with the #nativefashion hashtag.

I've selected some of my personal favorites, which range from jewelry and accessories, to couture and runway shots; from moccasins to high heels, and from the Northwest to the Southwest. Check out the selections below, and if you're on Instagram, follow us @beyondbuckskin. Let us know who your favorite people are to follow on Instagram for Native fashion and art images.

Fest Fashion Sans Headdress: How to do Coachella/Native-Inspired Fashion Right

We are kicking off the music festival season, and I want to do all I can to ensure that we do not continue to witness the tacky headdress outbreak that we've experienced in the past several years (just say no to fashion mistakes like Alessandra Ambrosio, left). So, to help out, we've got some non-offensive, super hot, festival-chic Native American fashion options for you music fest lovers out there. These items are made by Native artists and designers, and they are meant to be appreciated by people of all backgrounds, and, the items start at only $22.

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?

Patricia Michaels Party and Project PM Waterlily

I am writing to you live from Santa Fe where the annual SWAIA Indian Market is kicking off. The days are sunny, mixed in with some dashes of thunder and quick downfalls of much-needed rain in this gorgeous high desert region and the creative energy of Indian Market is filling the atmosphere as we inch closer to the weekend.

I'm meeting with Amber-Dawn Bear Robe who is working with Patricia Michaels and her team to host a fun fashion fundraiser in just 2 days.

Patricia, who placed second in last seasons Project Runway competition, is dead set on getting her designs back to New York for fashion week in September. She showed her work there for the first time in 2009 with a collective of other designers under an initiative by the Unreserved Alliance.

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.

Cody High Style 2012 | MILDJ

Every September, people from all over head to Cody, Wyoming for the annual Rendezvous Royale - a boot scootin' week full of high end western art and culture. The Cody High Style fashion show has become one of the week's highlights, with 'western chic' taking center stage.

One designer was Mildred Carpenter. Originally from the Great Cheyenne River Sioux Nation in Eagle Butte, SD, Carpenter creates dresses in vibrant colors and mesmerizing combinations that fuse Western wear with powwow chic and high fashion for her label, MILDJ.

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:

Flashback Friday | Dustin Martin, SOLO, and the Future

Two years ago I was introduced to streetwear artist Dustin Martin via the internet. He was making headlines as a Columbia University student who was majoring in Anthropology and making and remixing our ideas of Native fashion.

I was excited to learn about him, because we share similar perspectives on Native American-made, and Native American-inspired fashion. He sees fashion as a means to overturn preconceived notions about Indigenous cultures, and he infuses the clothing he makes with a distinctive intellectual side.

Fashion HEAT | Consuelo Pascual

I got the great opportunity to interview Navajo/Mayan fashion designer Consuelo Pascual about her newest designs that debuted at the Fashion HEAT show held in Santa Fe during Indian Market.

Organized by Native American and First Nations art scholar and curator Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, this free event was one of the most-talked about Native-focused fashion shows of the past year and featured some of the most prominent Native American fashion designers producing today.

In the interview below, Pascual talks to BB about the ins and outs of fashion design: from the structural to the ephemeral, fashion is an exciting art form, and is one that is gaining a better footing in the American Indian art world.

Orlando Dugi Talks Fashion HEAT

I caught up with Navajo jewelry and fashion designer Orlando Dugi to chat about the recent Fashion HEAT show that was held at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts during the Santa Fe Indian Market. Organized by contemporary Native American and First Nations art scholar and curator Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, the fashion show was one of the most talked about events during the weekend. The show featured some of Native America's topnotch fashion designers, and there's already talk about planning for Fashion HEAT 2013 (that's what I like to hear!).

Dugi is one of my personal favorite designers because he is constantly pushing himself and creating new items to show off. I remember when I first met him during the Heard Indian Market, and it was then that he said he's starting to dabble in fashion design.

Santa Fe Indian Market 2012 Fashion Events

The Santa Fe Indian Market kicks off in less than two weeks! There are tons of events and openings going on - for example, while the official Market doesn't start until Saturday, Market-related events begin the week prior.

I fly in on Wednesday, just in time to hit up the Gallery openings on Thursday and Friday. Every year I post a list of fashion events, mostly to keep myself organized, but also to show how fashion is an important component. Here's the list of cool events that you can catch me at!:

Father's Day Gift Guide

Bling out your dad (or your baby's daddy, or your main squeeze who happens to be a dad) in some Native-made gear.

Here's 7 cool gift ideas that range from bracelets to tees to belt buckles to bandanas, and range in price from a slick $25 to a more handsome $1,100.

For more gift ideas, check out the Father's Day section on the Beyond Buckskin Boutique site.

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.

PM Waterlily Shot

This beautiful shot was captured by Michael P. D'Arco at the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Albuquerque, NM, in September 2010.

The model is Janene Falsone-Milks, and she wears a dress designed by Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo). Click on the photo to see a larger version.

(Image © Michael P. D'Arco)

Red Lightning Enterprise

Native American fashion designer and quill artist Darlene Perkins brings us her new Red Lightning Enterprise website.

Currently based out of Parshall, North Dakota, Red Lightning Enterprise's art and fashion designs focuses on incorporating Native American quillwork practices.

Representing the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara), Red Lightning designs bracelets, earrings, skirts, dresses, bikini tops and leather pants, which are all adorned with dyed porcupine quills.