Bridging Tradition and Fashion: Celebrating Indigenous Artistry and Sustainability

Written by Tirsa Parrish

Indigenous communities have always strived to be in balance with the Earth. Their cultures teach us to take only what we need and to not be wasteful. When hunting for food, they honor the sacrifice of the animal by using every part. Traditional clothing was made from tanned hides, and form closely followed function while maximizing utility to extend the life of a textile.

Sustainability has been built into their cultures since the pre-colonial era and continues to be an important part of many indigenous creator’s world view. In the modern market, upcycling, recycling, zero-waste, and producing small, limited runs are methods that give these artisans the means to create while honoring their cultures and traditions. As we celebrate Indigenous People’s Day we recognize their resilience and diversity in the United States as well as indigenous people from around the world. 

Celebrate Tradition

Traditional prints, leatherwork, beadwork, and quiltwork have long inspired the fashion community, although often without credit. Many creators today are fighting to preserve Native fashion, including its role in their cultures for generations. Families, cultural and spiritual roles, and tribes can be denoted by the colors, materials, and designs used in their fashions. Design and aesthetics vary greatly from one tribe to the next. 

The fashion industry is starting to recognize the work of the indigenous people and not just appropriate their work. Toronto, Vancouver, and Australia each held their own Indigenous Fashion Weeks for the first time in 2021. This gave designers a much-needed platform to showcase their designs as well as educate the fashion community about Native design. Here we profile a few Indigenous artisans who celebrate their heritage through their creations.  

Left: Image via eighthgeneration.com; Right: Image via instagram.com @j.okuma

Jamie Okuma And J. Okuma

Jamie Okuma is a Luiseno and Shoshone-Bonnock beadwork and soft sculpture artist turned fashion designer from California. Her mother was a beadwork artist who started teaching Jamie the craft when she was just five years old. Jamie began making dolls, which she calls soft sculptures, and elaborate beadwork clothing and accessories for them. 

Her first foray into full-sized clothing was to make extravagant attire to attend powwows, and she was quickly asked to make items for her friends. She attended Palomar College and the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

She includes beadwork and Native American designs in her clothes, shoes, and accessories, seeking to modernize traditional designs. She specializes in one-of-a-kind pieces of wearable art that are hand-executed exclusively by the artist herself in all details of the process, while also designing ready-to-wear fashions. 

All of this attention from the designer means some of her pieces can take months to create. She therefore only makes limited collections that are available for presale on her website in the late fall.

Her work has been exhibited in museums across the United States, France, and Germany. In 2022, she was one of the first Native Americans to have her work chosen for the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute exhibit, highlighted during the Met Gala.

The Met’s Costume Institute has since purchased two of her pieces for their permanent collection including a dress that was in their exhibition “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”. In 2023, Okuma was the first Native American designer to become a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). 

Left: Photo: Nadya Kwandibens, Red Works, Images via dorothygrant.com

Dorothy Grant And Dorothy Grant Boutique

Dorothy Grant is Kaigani Haida of the Raven clan from the Brown Bear House of Howkan. Haida lands span the archipelago between southeastern Alaska and British Columbia, Canada. Her work stems from “Yaagudaang”, a Haida word and concept which means to have respect for yourself and those you encounter.

At 13, her grandmother taught her how to sew clothes for her younger sisters. In her twenties, she learned the exacting discipline of weaving headwear and baskets from spruce roots. She then began to sketch Haida art onto garments as a way to reclaim her culture that was being appropriated by non-native designers. 

She graduated from Helen Le’Feaux School of Fashion Design in her early thirties. Her collections combine traditional Haida ceremonial dress with contemporary fashion. Her vision is to forge a link between ancient customs and modern society through the creation of timeless wearable art.

She opened a retail store in 1994 called Dorothy Grant Boutique where she sold her three lines of clothes, from casual to haute couture. Her work is shown in museums across Canada and the United States. 

Bethany Yellowtail And B. Yellowtail

Bethany Yellowtail is an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne Nation and proudly hails from the Mighty Few District of the Crow Nation in Southeastern Montana. She graduated in 2009 from the Fashion Institute of Design and Technology and began working as a patternmaker for several private labels specializing in women’s dresses.

She founded her own Los Angeles fashion brand “B. Yellowtail” in 2015 where she is also the designer for the women’s apparel and accessories label. B. Yellowtail acts as a celebration of ancestral tradition, beauty, and culture, embracing an authentic voice of contemporary Native America through design and wearable art.

Yellowtail’s work has been exhibited in the Portland Art Museum and The Field Museum in Chicago. The exhibit featured a range of works including historical and contemporary pieces from different generations and tribes.

Her work is more than just about fashion, she works as a force for social justice in her community. She is an active organizer in her Tribal nations and is passionate about using fashion as a tool to lift up women and young girls by supporting the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls prevention activities. She has also designed and created apparel to raise money for the Native-led protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline (No-DAPL) and women’s rights movements.

Bethany acknowledges the cultural appropriation that Native Americans often face and aims to be a beacon of authenticity in the fashion industry for her culture. She works to send the message that “Rez Girls Can Do Anything.” This mantra was specifically crafted to inspire and connect some of the most vulnerable in the Native American communities including women, girls, and two-spirit individuals.

According to Indian Health Services, Native American two-spirit people are male, female, and sometimes intersexed individuals who combine activities of both men and women with traits unique to their status as two-spirit people. In most tribes, they were considered neither men nor women; they occupied a distinct, alternative gender status.

Left: Laduma Ngxokolo, Photo: Andile Buka, Image via forbes.com; Right: from the Autumn/Winter ‘23 Ma Xhosa Africa Collection, Image via shop.maxhosa.africa

Laduma Ngxokolo And MaXhosa Africa

Laduma Ngxokolo is a Xhosa designer born in South Africa. He launched his brand, MaXhosa Africa, in 2010 with the desire to explore knitwear design solutions that would be suitable for Amakrwala (Xhosa male initiation ceremony for adolescent boys).

Ngxokoto was taught by his mother to use a knitting machine as a teen. He studied textile design and technology at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth. His garments are made using traditional materials produced in South Africa and with modern machinery. After the garments are machine knit, they are meticulously hand-stitched.

Ngxokolo is passionate about involving South African hands throughout the production process to promote his country’s economy. MaXhosa’s creations are made from locally and ethically sourced raw materials, the main element of which is mohair. Mohair is the silky wool from the hair of Angora goats and South Africa is the leading producer of mohair in the world.

Ngxokolo’s initial vision was to create a modern Xhosa-inspired knitwear collection that would be suitable for this market. He wanted to develop premium knitwear that celebrates traditional Xhosa aesthetics. He is inspired by traditional Xhosa beadwork patterns, symbolism, and colors and he reinterprets them into modern knitwear.

MaXhosa Africa designs showcase the beauty, culture, language, and aspirations of the Xhosa people while translating these into a form that resonates with the global fashion market. Ngxokolo’s goal is to keep his culture alive as he shares it with others. Part of that is preserving the African knitting tradition. 

Left: Denni Francisco, image via insideretail.com.au; Rightfrom 2023 Ngali collection, image via ifp.org.au

Denni Francisco And Billiecart Clothing

Denni Francisco was the first indigenous Australian designer to hold a stand-alone show at Australia's Fashion Week in May 2023. She is a Wiradjuri woman, an Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales.

Francisco worked in design and directorship roles for notable fashion houses in Australia and the USA and created her first venture, a children's clothing company label, Billiecart Clothing.

Billiecart enjoyed exponential growth and quickly turned into an icon of 90s children’s fashion. The brand also pioneered an innovative supply chain model where all the fabrics and garments were designed and manufactured in Australia, keeping jobs local and reducing waste. This is what Fashion Index calls Make-It-Local (to you). 

Francisco's current endeavor, Ngali, to bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artwork to the world through the medium of clothing and collectibles. She works with remote artists to expand their reach and help promote understanding between First Nations’ communities and others.

Ngali translates to ‘we’ or ‘us’ in a number of Australian Aboriginal languages. Through Ngali, the company is creating the ‘us’ they would like to see, one of harmony, sustainability, and an equitable union of people with their country and each other.

Francisco is conscientious of her culture through the design. She uses fashion as her platform to communicate her culture’s story to a wider audience. Sustainability is key. Pieces are created to meet demand. Fabrics are long-lasting and intended for recycling and upcycling.

Ngali collections are upbeat, sophisticated, and travel-friendly. Color palettes are earthy, with pops of powder blue and flashes of black and white. Silhouettes are classic, distinguished by small details such as an embroidered collar or an unusual cuff.

The designers we featured are part of a and talented group of indigenous who use fashion as their medium to express and celebrate cultural traditions that inform their works. Their ancestral practices, deeply respectful of nature, instill a profound understanding of utilizing resources thoughtfully while minimizing waste.

Today, as the fashion industry increasingly acknowledges and values the heritage and contributions of indigenous designers, it stands at a critical juncture. Initiatives like upcycling, recycling, zero-waste approaches, and limited production runs honor these time-honored traditions while fostering modern creativity. As we honor Indigenous People’s Day, we celebrate the resilience and rich diversity of Indigenous communities, both in the United States and around the world. Let us recognize and uplift the contributions of indigenous artisans, amplifying their heritage through fashion, and continue the legacy of sustainable practices into the future.