Indigenous New York Fashion Week (INYFW) just wrapped its second year bringing authentic Native representation to what is traditionally known as Lenapehoking, the ancestral homelands of the Lenape peoples, where New York City now sits. With runway showcases taking place September 11-13 at the American Indian Community House in the Garment District, INYFW featured 30 designers from across the globe, including North America, South America, Oceania, and Australia.
Among them were several emerging talents who represent the next wave of Native style. “Indigenous New York Fashion Week is really about Indigenous futurism, because so often we’re dragged into a historical context,” INYFW cofounder and fashion designer Korina Emmerich (Puyallup) tells Teen Vogue. “I’m so impressed with the younger generation of designers and their focus on sustainability. They make me really excited about the future.”
“They’re designing in fresh young ways beyond the binary,” adds INYFW cofounder and community organizer Liana Shewey (Mvskoke). “A lot of their work is their personal response to the current state of the world, and their pieces are a reflection of their perspective on the status quo and the zeitgeist in real time.” The duo also owns Relative Arts NYC, the Indigenous-focused East Village shop that produces INYFW.
Ahead, learn more about six up-and-coming designers whose collections span from traditional garments to edgy streetwear looks and push the bounds of fashion.
Bineshii Creations
23-year-old Alexandria Bijou Henry was the youngest designer in the INYFW lineup. Her collection, “The Seeds She Planted,” honors the Native women in her life who have preserved and passed down the cultural practices woven into her creative process—especially her kokum (grandmother), Kathy Boulanger.
“Fashion is more than creating something beautiful to wear; it’s a way of expressing who we are, where we come from, and the stories we carry with us,” says Henry (Ojibway/Roseau River First Nations). “This collection explores the idea of being rooted in where you come from while continuing to grow. There is a strong connection to femininity, strength, beauty, and Indigenous identity throughout the pieces. I see this as a conversation between generations, carrying pieces of the teachings and love that were given to me while also representing my own voice as a young Indigenous designer.”
Taking inspiration from her community and homelands in Manitoba, Canada, Henry puts a contemporary twist on Anishinaabe traditions, such as intricate beadwork and vibrant ribbon skirts. She hopes to inspire aspiring artists with this takeaway: “We are never creating alone,” she says. “We are carrying the knowledge, sacrifices, creativity, and dreams of those who came before us.”
Homeland
Ty LodgePole makes a statement with every garment he creates: Love us like you love our culture. America looks better with us in it. I didn’t ask to be Indigenous; I got lucky. The 29-year-old Diné (Navajo) artist and designer has become known in the Native fashion community for his outspoken streetwear brand that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
“There is humor in Homeland,” says LodgePole, who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. “Our ‘HOME’ collection is an interpretation of Americana through an Indigenous lens. There are familiar pieces of American visual culture throughout it—workwear, sportswear, Western references, graphics, symbols, and silhouettes—but we’re shifting the person telling the story. It’s like looking at something you’ve seen your entire life and suddenly realizing you’ve only ever been shown it from one angle.”
On the runway, that translated to pieces like oversize graphic tees, embellished denim, and a throwback sporty windbreaker. LodgePole intentionally offset the bolder pieces with quieter ones to reflect the balance of Indigenous identity. “We’re not always making a political statement just by waking up,” he says. “At the same time, our existence, survival, and relationship to this land carry a history that can’t be separated from what America is today.”
Enfant_Martyr
Nathan Jenniss didn’t grow up surrounded by his Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk (Maliseet) culture. In fact, his dad discouraged him from learning the language and traditions, trying to shield him from what he considered a sad heritage of oppression and trauma. When Jenniss would talk about his Native ancestry as a child, he was met with judgement and discrimination. So for much of his early life, he hid his true identity. With fashion, he has found a way to express his authentic self.
“When I started designing, I had major imposter syndrome, which would stop me from working with other Native artists,” says 25-year-old Jenniss, who is based in Montreal, Quebec. “Participating in INYFW has given me the opportunity to meet fantastic people, to learn more about what it means to be Indigenous, and to learn more about myself.”
With his avant-garde upcycled designs, he is “giving garments a second life out of respect,” layering them with bone, leather, feathers, fish vertebrae, and other unexpected details. The result? “An armor of the heart that gives you confidence and pride—because sometimes you just have to give yourself a chance,” he says.
SIQUICHA
What began as a two-year volunteer stint in the Peruvian village of San Miguel de Pallaques for 28-year-old Jimena Muñiz-Garreta has transformed into SIQUICHA, a collective of more than 25 Indigenous artisans. Their designs represent the diversity of the South American country: woven cotton dresses from Cajamarca, alpaca knitwear from Cusco, beaded jewelry from the Amazon, and more. The brand’s name is fitting, a Quechua word meaning “the weaver’s tether”—the tool that links an artist to her loom and connects her to every thread.
“Each piece has its own unique story that is so alive, it feels as though it has its own heartbeat,” says Muñiz-Garreta, who is Native Costa Rican and lives in Lima. “We want people to experience the same awe I felt when I first set foot in the Andes and observed weavers at the loom. The magic is in the process, not just the final product. What you wear has a story; the person who made it has a name; the materials have an origin. These looks are meant to expand the edges of what fashion is, by innovating craft and empowering it to claim its space in the industry.”
INYFW was TXYZ founder Tyree Honani’s first-ever fashion show. Aptly dubbed “No. 1,” her debut cut-and-sew collection features minimal, oversize silhouettes imbued with meaning that might not be readily apparent—which is exactly how she wants it.
For instance, some pieces have pockets shaped like Mudhead Katsina figures, important messenger spirits in Hopi culture. Even the garments’ darker palette holds significance, referencing all-important ash, which is considered a powerful medicine with protective properties. The 28-year-old Hopi/Navajo designer also takes inspiration from everyday elements such as the dirt roads of the reservation and the concrete buildings of the city—the two environments she split time between as a child.
“These things all live in my visual memory and can come back later through a fabric, a silhouette, a color palette, or the atmosphere of a collection,” says Honani, who lives in Arizona. “I want to create from a place that feels true to who I am and where I come from, without feeling like I have to fit into a predetermined idea of what Indigenous design should look like.” Appropriately, her INYFW collection defied definition, showcasing tailored jackets and shorts alongside screen-printed shirts and streetwear.
Creator Complex
Two-spirit queer multidisciplinary artist Nishina Shapwaykeesic-Loft’s work takes many forms, including painted murals, theatrical costumes, and most recently, sustainable fashion under the label Creator Complex. The 27-year-old Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) designer makes most of her garments from secondhand and recycled materials.
“I believe that as Indigenous people we should be leaders in creating ethical and sustainable fashion, because the rise of fast fashion creates a significant amount of waste,” says the Brooklyn-based artist who assisted in producing the inaugural INYFW. “My brand focuses on utilizing traditional materials in a contemporary context: a dress made of deer antlers, a jacket layered in horsehair tassels, a rabbit fur waist piece, a woven denim jacket. There are endless possibilities for how these materials can be adapted and used.”
A signature accessory accompanying every look in her show? Cornhusk masks, modeled after traditional Haudenosaunee cornhusk dolls, which don’t have faces in order to let children determine the toys’ personality and story. In this case, the face coverings are intended to help people from all backgrounds envision themselves wearing Indigenous-designed fashion.
