US’ first Indigenous Fashion Week to launch in New Mexico

The first annual Santa Fe Indigenous Fashion Week is set to launch next year, hosted by the Southwestern Association for American Indian Arts (SWAIA) in New Mexico.

Scheduled to take place between May 2 and May 5, the event will include a fashion conference, a soirée and runway showcases for Indigenous designers from across North America.

According to SWAIA, the fashion week’s mission is to provide a space for such designers and artists who have previously been overshadowed by the American fashion empire.

The organisation is hoping for Sante Fe to become a global destination for Indigenous Fashion.

Now in its 101th year, SWAIA has established itself into a notable organisation that hosts, among other things, the annual Santa Fe Indian Market.

The Market has previously been home to the Indigenous Fashion Show, for which the upcoming fashion week is an extension of.

The event is being produced by curator and art historian Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, who said in a release: "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."