Native American Designers in New York Fashion Week

It’s Fashion Week in New York. Although there are of course the usual powerhouse designers, there was also something new last Friday – three Native American designers presenting their collections on the catwalk. They were Sho Sho Esquiro, Lyn Kay Peters of Ringing Bell Robes, and Linda Lavallee of Cree Nisga’a Clothing. Throughout time, the fashion world has liberally taken artistic inspiration from many different sources, not least of which includes native designs. While these themes are wildly prominent in both high and low fashion, Native American designers are few and far between. While Native Americans were and sometimes still are considered “the other,” historically designers have mined native patterns for years. By mass-producing these patterns, the consumer is able to wear a pattern saturated with historical conflict, without much thought. The consumer is given the illusion of authenticity, while completely disregarding influence and history. However, by showcasing Native American designers, these designers are able to reclaim identity and establish their influence in society and history. And yet, these designers on the catwalk still perpetuate that “Today, racial hegemony is ‘messy’” (75). These designers being in the spotlight is progressive, but the targeted audience of New York fashion week is white, upper class, Americans. So the question must be asked, are these designers giving Native Americans a new voice, or is the production of these designs simply conforming to previously established racial confines? Is this fashion breaking the mold, or “creat[ing] or reporduc[ing] structures of domination based on essentialist categories of race” (71)?