The Southwestern Association for American Indian Arts (SWAIA) announced the launch of the first annual Santa Fe Indigenous Fashion Week – May 2, through May 5, 2024, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Premiering the first week of May 2024, the four-day event includes fashion symposia, a soirée and runway days showcasing the talent of Indigenous designers across North America, while featuring artists who merge the boundaries between art, design and fashion. Contemporary Native American fashion is a vibrant and diverse field that reflects the creativity and innovation of Indigenous knowledge expressed through material culture.
Organizers said the event will provide space for Native North American designers and designer artists who have previously been overshadowed by the American fashion empire.
SWAIA, the 101-year-old organization responsible for the legendary Santa Fe Indian Market held each August and the new Fashion Week, will continue the momentum created by the Indigenous Fashion Show—produced for the past decade during Indian Market week. It will begin with a fashion symposium and launch celebration on Thursday, May 2,2024.
After ten years of producing and curating Indigenous fashion shows and exhibitions for SWAIA and multiple international institutions, launching Native Fashion Week is a dream come true for curator and art historian, Amber-Dawn Bear Robe (Siksika Nation): “SWAIA’s Indigenous Fashion Show began in 2014 with no budget, a U-Haul to transport models to the outside runway location and a DJ with a microphone. To have the support of both SWAIA and the City of Santa Fe is immense. We plan to create the fashion hub for and to represent the diversity of Indigenous designers from the United States and Canada on a national platform.”
