Glitz and glamour during Native Fashion Week

By Bazhnibah
Special to the Times

SANTA FE – It was most thrilling to see the extraordinary fashions by Native/Indigenous designers from across the mainland U.S., Alaska, and Canada at the Santa Fe Indigenous fashion shows. The week started off to an exciting gathering of VIPs, designers, models, actors, media, and anyone who was famous at the media launch party. The party was at the New Mexico Governor’s Mansion to meet, greet, and chat with each other on a Thursday evening. This gathering set the stage for the events that were to come the next few days and evenings.

Special to the Times | Bazhnibah
A Diné model, wearing a touching stone tie and a shirt by Loren Aragon, an Acoma fashion designer, walked the runway on Sunday during the 2024 SWAIA Native Fashion Week.

The first show we went to that week was the evening opening of the Dineh & Company gallery in the Santa Fe Plaza. It is a shop owned by three Diné artists, with Native American Navajo jewelry, clothing, accessories, and other merchandise. Two Navajo fashion designers showed their mini collections, Jolonzo Goldtooth and Jeremy Arviso at the opening.

Then on Saturday came the biggest event of the week, the first ever Santa Fe Native Fashion Week’s runway fashion show with mini-shows and the larger runway shows. Exciting new designers showed their work. Peshawn Bread, a Comanche/Kiowa model turned film maker and fashion designer of the House of Sutai shared her youthful vibes with zigzagged and gold designed flowing dresses and outfits on the runway.

Northern Alaska fashion designer Clara McConnell of Qaulluq brought the furs, fur lined garments and with North coastal designs typical of the area. Pamela Baker of Himikalas was a return designer to Santa Fe with her trademark garments with pacific coast designs.

Acoma fashion designer Loren Aragon had a new men’s collection and name, Towering Stone. Aragon is well known for his designs influenced by pottery designs of his family.

Special to the Times | Bazhnibah
A model showcases a Loren Aragon shirt with Acoma designs on the sleeves and collar from Aragon’s Touching Stone men’s collection at the SWAIA Native Fashion Week runway show on Sunday.

Diné designers came in force at this Fashion Week. Diné Designer Penny Singer revealed her new collection of her signature applique work on vests, shirts, scarves, and on other clothing. It was exciting when tall models strutted onto the runway with her fashions.

Carrie Wood’s Chizhii designs were fun and youthful as well with cuts of blue bird flower sacks and másání scarves onto jackets, pants, and shirts. In the collection were also velvet tops inspired by traditional Navajo velvet or velveteen fabrics.

Another Diné designer was Randy Leigh Barton who is a dancer, graphic artist, DJ, and fashion designer. His collection at the SWAIA Fashion Week runway show on Sunday was most impressive with his dancers/models who entered the runway dancing clothed in jeans with cutouts, graphic designs on T-shirts, skirts, pants, and other youthful clothing. The dance music had a mix of sounds including Navajo singing to a very modern beat.

The week and weekend went by fast and furious but with memories of fashion greats, new designers, and models. There was a total of 22 Indigenous fashion designers who highlighted their collections in Santa Fe. It was a great Native fashion week.