Indigenous designers are rare in fashion, even though seeing Indigenous culture in magazines, stores and clothing isn’t.
Indigenous fashion designer Bethany Yellowtail made headlines with a collection that incorporates her culture with classic style. Her label works with Indigenous models, photographers, poets and videographers.
You can see her “Mighty Few” collection here.
Yellowtail’s high school art teacher encouraged her to design clothes when she was young.
"She said, 'You could be a fashion designer,'" Yellowtail told Mic magazine. "And at the time there were no Native fashion designers. We don't see Natives like that in media, or in typical mainstream roles.”
Yellowtail is fighting cultural appropriation in fashion, which is when non-Indigenous people and brands rip off our culture and symbols.
"At this point, they're taking our voices and our designs from us," she told Mic. "They don't acknowledge us as living people and nations. This is not just fashion, it's part of our tribal identities."
What do you think of Yellowtail’s collection?
