fbpx
facebook app symbol  twitter  linkedin  instagram 1
 

Native Fashion Week Santa Fe 2025 cements its status as one of the largest Indigenous fashion events in the United States, establishing itself as a key fixture on the global fashion calendar — where heritage and innovation meet.

From May 8–11, 2025, the Santa Fe Railyard Arts District will be transformed into a dynamic international fashion hub, hosting over 30 trailblazing designers and more than 100 models for a four-day celebration of Indigenous creativity. This year’s showcase highlights a powerful mix of emerging talent and established icons — including Orlando Dugi, renowned for his couture eveningwear, and Lesley Hampton, a leader in inclusive and body-positive design. First-time participants will debut alongside industry veterans in what is now the largest collaborative platform for Indigenous designers in North America. In a fashion world that has long sidelined Native artistry, Native Fashion Week Santa Fe asserts itself as both a cultural milestone and a bold challenge to the industry's norms.

Never miss Indian Country’s biggest stories and breaking news. Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. 

Curated by Amber-Dawn Bear Robe — a pioneering force in Indigenous fashion, member of the Siksika Nation, and the mind behind exhibitions like Fashioning Indigenous Futurism at the Getty Museum — this event is more than emerging; it's leading. A 2023 Canadian Arts and Fashion Changemaker Award recipient, Bear Robe continues to elevate Native designers onto global stages. “Indigenous fashion has been couture since before ‘couture’ existed. The precision, the artistry, the vision — it’s always been here, shaping style in ways the industry is only beginning to understand,” she says. “Native Fashion Week Santa Fe is where that influence takes the stage.”

2025 Highlights Include:

  • Two days of runway shows and fashion programming, spotlighting designers like Apache Skateboards & Douglas Miles, Orlando Dugi, Korina Emmerich, Lauren Good Day, Lesley Hampton, Nonamey, and Products of My Environment x The Son of Picasso.

  • A VIP Sky Railway fashion kickoff: a two-hour scenic rail journey through Santa Fe, offering exclusive previews, immersive storytelling, and networking with designers and media.

  • Industry panels, featuring voices like Christian Allaire, journalist and author of The Power of Style: How Fashion and Beauty are Being Used to Reclaim Cultures.

  • Trunk shows and brand activations across the Railyard, creating direct connections between designers, buyers, and collectors.

Native Fashion Week Santa Fe 2025 is not just a fashion event — it’s a movement redefining who gets to lead and be seen in global fashion.

More Stories Like This

"Your'e No Indian" Examines the Disenrollment Issue
Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians to Open New Exhibition: Section 14 – The Untold Story
Actor Jonathan Joss, Voice of John Redcorn, Killed in Texas Shooting
Celebrate Summer and Father’s Day at the Chickasaw Cultural Center – June 14
After 30 Years, Berkeley's Turtle Island Monument Foundation Will Be Built

Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions

At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.

The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.

Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.

This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.

We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.

Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.

Levi headshotThe stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.

Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.

Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher

 
 
About The Author
Native News Online Staff
Author: Native News Online StaffEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at [email protected].