Changing the Face: Celebrated Female Fashion Designers and Textiles Artists

Changing the Face: Celebrated Female Fashion Designers and Textiles Artists

(SANTA FE, NM) Native Modern: Contemporary Native Art and Design Exhibit Series is a collaborative project between Legends Santa Fe and Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA). SWAIA and Legends Santa Fe seeks distinctive and previously untested ways of bringing Native artists together from across cultures, media and themes. The shows, like Indian Market, are at once traditional and brimming with innovative ideas. The result is the presentation of Native art unlike anything else in Santa Fe.

The fifth and final show of the collaboration will feature celebrated female fashion designers and textile artists including:

•Melissa Cody (Dine)
•Amber Gunn Gauthier (Ho-Chunk Nation/ Menominee Nation)
•Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo)
•Penny Singer (Dine)

The work of these accomplished artists represent the transition and adaption of Native imagery with traditional textile and weaving methods into contemporary Fashion. Patricia Michaels, for example, is the 2010 winner of the Santa Fe Indian Market's Textiles Classification. Competing against traditional Native textiles, her winning piece signaled the ever-expanding possibilities of this ancient art form. Collectively, these visionary textile artists represent the very best in the genre.

The Native Modern: Contemporary Native Art and Design Exhibit Series at Legends Santa Fe is a bold and unmatched collaboration. With SWAIA's evolution continuing to redefine the parameters of Native art, paired with one of Santa Fe's premiere and most adventurous galleries, the Native Modern Series has set the standard for the presentation, promotion and possibilities in contemporary Native art.

Who: Legends Santa Fe and the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA)
What: Native Modern: Contemporary Native Art and Design Exhibit Series presents "Changing the Face: Celebrated Female Fashion Designers and Textiles Artists"
Where: Legends Gallery: 143 Lincoln Ave. Santa Fe, NM (505) 983-5639
When: Friday, November 5, 2010 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
How Much: Free

For more information or interview requests, please contact
Gabe Gomez, (505) 983-5220 or ggomez@swaia.org

November 2010: Upcoming Native Fashion Events!

Check out these upcoming Native fashion events happening throughout (Urban) Indian Country! (click on the pink links for more information about each event):

Native Fashion with Social Action Fashion Show in Los Angeles
Red Nation is the New Glam - Nov 3-9, 2010: more info coming soon.
Since 2005, Red Nation Film Festival The Authentic Voice of American Indian Indigenous Cinema has presented exclusive screenings, Oscars nominated films, spirit award nominated films, Native Women in Film & Television presentations, as well as a fashion show (Native Fashion with Social Action, Red Nation is the NEW Glam), all under the commitment to keeping American Indian image at the forefront of the entertainment industries and the world at large.

Martini Couture in Scottsdale
On November 5, Martini Couture (by Dii Martin of the Navajo Nation) will be featured during the annual Scottsdale Fashion Week. She will also be a part of an upcoming fashion show at the Heard Museum in Phoenix on November 20 (more info to come).

Patricia Michaels in New Mexico
Taos fashion designer Patricia Michaels has been busy with a photo shoot in Taos for ELLE France featuring her PM Waterlily Designs. She also will be participating on Nov. 6 in a fashion show and fundraiser for New Mexico Tribal Libraries at Isleta Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Native Model Studio Fashion Show in Winnipeg
NMS is hosting their annual Pink Party on November 6, featuring performance by various Native DJs and performers, and a fashion show with designs by Disa Tootoosis, Sho Sho Esquiro, Swirling Winds Design, Turquoise Soul, and Ruby Feathers.

Bethany Yellowtail in Winnipeg
On November 7, Wood Events Planning is hosting a Fashion Show featuring Los Angeles fashion designer B.Yellowtail, who will be launching her new Fall/Winter 2010 line while being shot live by Thoshography. The party will also feature Native DJs and singers - so check it out!

Miscellaneous

 

Letz Zep #take2

Last night we went to see Letz Zep (Zeppelin's biggest tribute band). It was the second time I've seen them and somehow this time I wasn't as stunned and as excited. Probably because the whole fascination with the fact they are guys who base themselves on Zeppelin, dress the same and play the same music has worn off, because I've seen it all before. Nevertheless, they were good as always, and they're brilliant musicians, and going to a venue to see a band play Zeppelin music is bound to be good anyway. If you close your eyes or look to the side for a bit, for a moment you can believe it's really them. We got a mention, and I got a song sung to me and a hand holding on-stage moment, and there were several other scenarios happening which I wont talk about on here.
At the end of the gig we hung around for a little while by the bar when all the lights go on and everybody else has cleared off (as always). And they came waltzing over to us. Imagine this scene right, you're in a dingy old rock n' roll venue, you've just been at a (pretend) Led Zeppelin gig for two hours, it's the end of the night and you're at the bar, and you see a tall man with long blonde curls, a shirt, and denim flares walk over to you from the corner of your eye. Then they all start gathering round. So we're there surrounded by the band trying to make small talk and sound witty and exciting. We ended up there until 1:30am, as we were asked by the band to help them carry their gear to their cars up the hill. So there we are walking up a hill carrying guitar cases and drum kits, then for the next two hours we were chatting. The drummer managed to save us from being attacked by chavs, we had some vodka and we talked about all sorts of random chit-chat. Then they left, after the drummer hinted for us to go back to his so called 'mansion', bless him.
Ha, I must make myself sound so pretentious, I'm not. I'm not writing this to gloat about my fake Led Zeppelin adventures in the Kent countryside. I'm writing it because I'm hoping that whoever reads this would actually be interested in what I've got to say. And would enjoy reading stories about my wannabe 1969 lifestyle, because it's the closest most people will ever get. Sigh.

I'M ALIVE

i am alive. i am not really sure where i have been for the past few weeks, other than working. i am now working full time and find myself so exhausted in the evenings that i don't have the time to do anything other than eat and then go to sleep. i had a day off yesterday and ventured up to london for the day to meet my long lost friend amber, and whilst waiting for her outside topshop oxford circus (so cliche`) i got interviewed and photographed by three different people. one was a girl who was studying fashion photography, another was a girl who worked for glamour magazine and asked me ''what has benefited you the most from the recession?'' - i didnt come up with an answer. and the third was xenia from THE EXSOTERIC fashion blog. www.exsoteric.blogspot.com.

New Zealand Fashion Week 2010 Videos

There's some amazing fashion coming out of New Zealand. Check out these two videos featuring garments made by Maori designers -

Amber Bridgman talks about her fashion designs at NZFW 2010:




Shona Tawhiao uses traditional harakeke Maori weaving techniques to create sculptural high fashion. Here is a clip from Tawhiao's NZ Fashion Week 2010 Haute Couture collection 'Te Whiri' from the Miromoda Showcase.

Upcoming Film | LA Fashion and Culture

Upcoming film

Hawaii Sovereignty Filmmaker now turns camera on Fashion Culture in Los Angeles.

One of the goals of "Hawaii A Voice For Sovereignty" by filmmaker Catherine Bauknight and the Native Hawaiian people, is to enlighten the world of the truth of Hawai'i Nei.

"Connecting Cultures" is the core vision of Award-winning filmmaker Catherine Bauknight, who has started filming a documentary about Los Angeles fashion and culture. The project is Executive Produced by Fashion Los Angeles, the new global platform for Los Angeles fashion. This cutting edge documentary will launch at the first official Fashion Los Angeles, forFall/Winter 2011 collections, February 1-7, 2011. We will find out why Los Angeles is becoming the hub for fashion in the US, how it relates to history, film, and the indigenous people who are located here including the Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Hispanic cultures."

Bauknight says "We are continuing the unity of understanding culture through fashion in Los Angeles. Cultures throughout the world are based here for a reason.

The film will explore the culture of fashion through intimate interviews and insights into the lifestyles and processes of designers, the inspirations for their work, and the community of people who are behind the scenes to increase the communication and support of the world of fashion in Los Angeles, as Fashion Los Angeles creates a global platform.

The making of the documentary will develop a stage for social communication through webisodes, and the internet. This venue of documentation and webisodes will build and connect the community of Los Angeles and fashion as awareness of each grows. The cultural, economic, and social connection within the two communities will be bridged during this process of documentation of growth, creating a greater sense of identity for Los Angeles today and historically through the voices of the people.

"Our journey through the history and future of fashion will be an extraordinary experience through this documentary film" says Bauknight. The premiere will be held at Fashion Los Angeles, between February 1-7, 2011. The documentary will then travel throughout the world to be screened at film festivals.

For more information about the film please contact:
Jeff Warrington.
press@fashionweek.la
or
Catherine Bauknight
Othila Media Productions
cbauknight@othilamedia.com
www.catherinebauknight.com

Catherine Bauknight
Anna - Catawba Tribe
Photograph

Cute Red T shirt.....

Oda: The Beauty in Imperfection

Everytime I look at the fashion designs made by the collective oda, I get excited. So I was delighted when I saw they started up a Facebook fan page where you can see all their latest fashion designs and photoshoots.

(Hand-Beaded Medallion Tank)

Born from a shared vision of creating hip, wearable art, oda's design trio – Angie Kim, Mandalyn Begay, and Maggie Kim – introduced their debut collection at San Francisco Fashion Week, August 2005. With a signature style tinged in Edwardian tradition and incorporating a Tokyo-pop flavor, their clothes feature exquisite, handmade embellishments designed to accentuate the beauty in imperfection. Angie and Maggie first met Mandalyn as undergraduates at Dartmouth College and started their eco-fashion line when they met up again in San Francisco.

oda create's apparel that people can be confident wearing and supporting. The current collection is inspired by Native American and Korean traditional costume. In line with oda's belief in the use of socially and environmentally sound materials and practices, cottons, hemps and wools are organically produced. The other fabrics are made from natural fibers like soy, and colors are hand-dyed or tea-stained. Clothing details are eco-mindful as well; feathers are collected locally from molting chickens and buttons are made from found antlers and bamboo. Maintaining and fostering the skilled crafts of traditional cultures is important to oda's philosophy and inspiration.

Check out the oda Etsy shop and website, or view my previous designer profile on them

“Our Existence is our Resistance": Conference on Streetwear

I just sent out a paper proposal to Yale for their upcoming conference on streetwear.

The conference, titled "The Urban Catwalk: Fashion and Street Culture," aims to investigate and discuss the relationships between street style and identity.

So I submitted an abstract on Native streetwear.

Over the course of a single day in April, The Urban Catwalk will partner 20 minute academic presentations from a range of disciplines. Selected papers may be considered for an edited volume - and I hope I get picked because I think the work being done by Native street style designers would add greatly to understanding the connection between fashion and identity. Fingers will be crossed.

Here's my proposal:

Native American traditional art forms have been reincarnated by young Native artists and activists and placed on human bodies in the form of streetwear. This presentation explores the world of Native street fashion, and investigates how the makers and wearers use these garments to not only proudly communicate their tribal identities, but also to promote cultural survivance (survival/resistance), and reclaim Indianness in popular culture. Several grassroots Native fashion companies have emerged in the past decade, fueling a movement of Native youth who proudly wear their identity ‘on their sleeves’ – not only in their reservation communities, but also in urban environments like Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Winnipeg.

Through creative acts of subversion, these designers inscribe the all-American t-shirt with images of historical Native American heroes, contemporary political critiques, old tribal design motifs, and positive and insightful messages written in Native languages. In vibrant hues and bold graphics, their streetwear designs are undoubtedly contemporary, yet the messages they convey draw on age-old traditions and cultural practices and are infused with a keen awareness of the social, political and economic trends that affect Native peoples today. These artists are pro-Indian and tribally-centric in their production and reproduction of knowledge. They share with us the vitality and diversity of Native cultures, and ensure that tribal concepts of identity and attire persist, albeit in new forms. Some makers and wearers see these garments as clothing of resistance – they deconstruct and discredit stereotypes, offer alternative forms of performing gender and expressing beauty, and promote resistance in the form of active presence. This type of presence is important because most Americans attribute Native ‘authenticity’ to stereotypes they themselves have created, leaving no space for the existence of contemporary Native identities. These designers seek to regain this space through everyday clothing in which we all can engage, and as one streetwear artist explained, “Our existence is our resistance.”

To read a previous post on Native streetwear, click here, T-Shirts are our Battlefield

Event | imagineNATIVE Fashion

Koous Collection will be hosting a fashion show for imagineNATIVE, October 20-24, 2010 in Toronto. Read more below:

A time for the Indigenous community from around the world to come out and play - and dress-up!

Add your name to a growing guest list for a private INDIGENOUS FUSION & FASHION show of Nuu-chah-nulth textile art by J'net A. Cavanagh and other guest clothing and jewellery designers!!

Admission by donation - RSVP kooous@gmail.com
Once you have sent your RSVP you will receive your personalized invitation and location for INDIGENOUS FUSION & FASHION!

Sunday, October 17th, 2010
2:30 pm Dessert Reception
3:00 pm INDIGENOUS FUSION & FASHION Show
Central-Toronto, ON

LIMITED SEATS: RSVP kooous@gmail.com

Brown is the New Black: Maori Fashion

Miromoda is receiving some well-deserved media coverage of their latest efforts to propel Maori fashion out into the internation fashion world via the New Zealand Fashion Week.

Skip to pages 22-27 to see an awesome spread on Maori fashion in TU MAI Magazine. The issue is available online for free.

As "New Zealand's leading indigenous lifestyle magazine", TU MAI has upheld a commitment to enrich the minds of all New Zealanders through the sharing of stories and issues mostly related to New Zealand's Indigenous culture, but inclusive of others.

TU MAI magazine is a quality, nationally distributed, glossy magazine that re-affirms as well as enlightens and is the ONLY MONTHLY Indigenous magazine on the market.

And here is an interesting video clip of the New Zealand Good Morning tv show featuring the Miromoda competition winners.

I think I should go to New Zealand for the next Miromoda show!....

The Shorts...and Boots...!

Longer days and hot nights call for shorter hem lines- but that doesn't mean we have to deal in our boots for flip flops! The shorts are no longer assigned to weekend chores, beach cover-ups and music festivals- they have found their way to the real catwalks of Hollywood. With a little stimulation from Daisy Duke, these girls show how to breathe new life into a summer wardrobe staple.

Add a black to your outfit, and you are routinely labeled "edgy"- but to me, there is amazing about these girls that are friendly and sweet. Maybe it's because instead of opting for a heeled boot, they went with a loose decent flat boot...or maybe it's to do with the softer shapes of their tops- either way, I'm coveting this look...but I may have to go back over it on a really hot day.

For a simpler version of wearing boots with your shorts, keep the height of your boot to ankle length. The leg-lengthening class alone should have you stepping up out to experiment with this look! At 5'1, Nicole Richie looks as leggy as Gisele Bundchen in all her 5'10 of glory! I love how erratic the ankle boots look with the relaxed tops that these girls paired with their shorts. You almost expect a tattered flip flop- but instead you get a sexy treat….!

Review | Miromoda at Fashion Week: Part Two

And here is part 2 of the review of the Miromoda Maori fashion show held last month during New Zealand Fashion Week.

Miromoda at Fashion Week: Part TwoReview: Jason Tapuai-Kuka
Runway photography: Natasha Hing

Adrienne Whitewood
Miromoda Emerging Designer winner, Adrienne Whitewood offered a collection that captures the imagination of urban-wear that seemed to take you on a journey’s reminiscent of Arabian Nights.

Velvets come in cocoon-ish wraps and effortless shapes that look comfortable and very wearable.


Colours are dark blues highlighted with shades of russet. Copper jewellery bedecks the wrists and décolletage in thick wire coils.


Linen sheaths, slouchy trousers and muslin fabrics compliment a collection that allowed comfort, style and innovation to co-exist so invitingly.



Kereama Taepa
I loved this collection from Urban Maori designer Kereama Taepa. Wit and caricature abound in this collection and welcomed too. Prints are nostalgic of growing up in the eighties and nineties.


The ever-present ‘have a nice day’ face had a make-over with an amusing moko motif.


Does anyone remember the arcade game called ‘Galaga’ that use to clutter the entrance to take-away shops? Prints similar to that archaic game are utilised in neon colours lighten up the side of leggings or wherever applicable it seems.


Denim arrives in cropped shorts with unfinished edges for woman; men’s denim shorts and pants are fitted or straight-cut. An Autobot printed shirt also gets the Maori-ised makeover, and I expect to see young people wondering about, proudly sporting such entertaining and fun street-wear.



Amber Bridgman
Dunedinite Amber Bridgeman, with her label Kahuwai excites inspiration Maori mythical super heroes. Her ethos is to give a homely sense to apparel that is authentically made in Aotearoa. Each piece is features indigenous artwork using New Zealand made paints and made from sustainable fabrics. So this collection was embellished with feathers, prints and strong details that aligned itself in-theme.


Merino dresses had versatile additions – wrap-like details that drape across the shoulder like a pashmina, suddenly becomes a train. Colours popped right at you in emerald greens, reds as well as black and white.


Ensembles were usually bi-tonal and prints were inserted at the sides, sleeves and on the back of that train in a repeated motif. The clothes for men had an ease about them, something that just said you could just chuck-on and go.


Male models wore batman masks and unmasked at the end of the runway, posed in haka-like stances with a fearsome pukana. Our man Hunter McLeod was fortunate to take on this task. To the point, Amber Bridgeman’s collection had mana, wearability and poise.



Shona Tawhiao
Lastly, Shona Tawhio stood out from the rest with her masterful skills of weaving flax into unique and exquisite sculptures. Tawhio is a fibre artist and an acutely adept one too. Her collection is entitled ‘Te Whiri’ and based on traditional warrior attire.


A spectacular interpretation of a corset and skirt piece was exceptional, finished flawlessly in a black lustre and even more, the corset was held together with steel clasps that continued high finish details.


Armour-like chest plates looked tough as steel and woven head pieces complete a regimented look.


Tawhio is like no other weaver/ fibre artist that I personally have encountered and is one to look out for in future.