New York, Sept. 9 (EFE).- Native North American talents stood out this Friday during the first day of New York Fashion Week, where several designers claimed their talent and dressed for the upcoming season with the bright colors and geometric prints that their ancestors wore.

One of the most notable was Stephanie Crowchild/Eagletail, from the Tsuu T’ina tribe in Alberta (Canada), who presented pieces made with historical textiles traditionally used by the indigenous peoples of her country, such as woolen blankets of Hudson Bay and Pendelton. .

The self-taught designer, who learned to sew thanks to her mother and aunt, explains to Efe that she is inspired by the traditional clothing of her grandparents, but that she reproduces it giving it a modern touch for the adapt to the times of his generation. and, in short, asserts her “identity as an indigenous woman”.

On the indie catwalk at Rise NY, one of dozens kicking off today in the Big Apple and bringing trends from around the world, her label Stephanie Eagletail Designs offered a series of eye-catching wool coats and fringed sets for winter colors on a white background, among others.

Proudly dressed in a mustard-coloured jacket with fringe that moves as he gestures and a black hat with a geometric trim, Crowchild says backstage that he’s happy to see his designs on the streets and believes he’s helping to preserve their culture.

“I see a lot of people who are against cultural appropriation. But, from my point of view, as long as they culturally appreciate the pieces and the work, I like to see them worn by anyone in all walks of society,” he says.

The seamstress, who prays to her ancestors before she sews, also considers herself a ‘third-generation survivor’ of the residential schools that Canadian Indigenous children were forced into and runs a ‘traditional healing home’ in Saskatchewan, she adds . .

MORE INDIGENOUS REPRESENTATION IN FASHION

Crowchild was joined today by other Indigenous designers, such as Stephaine Grace Gamble, Tishynah Buffalo and Ingrid Brooks, also from Canada, and Angela Howe-Parrish and Amber Buckanaga from the United States.

“Of course we meet tonight, get to know each other and support each other. In this New York Fashion Week, I saw a lot of indigenous representations and it’s beautiful,” he adds.

But there was not only an indigenous presence among the designers of Rise NY: also among those who wore their pieces in the room, thanks to the modeling agency SuperNaturals Modeling, whose mission is to celebrate and give visibility of indigenous peoples in the media.

Its founders, Patrick Shannon and Joleen Mitton, worked for years in fashion and were fed up with not seeing indigenous peoples represented in more than “stereotypical and symbolic” ways, which led them to create the first agency of indigenous models in the world in 2021, they hold.

“We were very frustrated to see the exploitation of Indigenous talent in Canada and the United States, and we decided to open this agency (…) specifically for Indigenous people and made by Indigenous people, who understand the cultural and social history of our people, to help us take healthy and positive steps in the sector,” says Shannon.

Result: In a year and a half, they have amassed nearly a thousand applications from aspiring models across North America and connected with those they hope will contribute to the transition to greater diversity in fashion,” says Mitton, a former model and founder of Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week.

“It’s been an exciting journey just to see this massive current of change, now with a desire, to see Indigenous peoples represented,” says Shannon, to which Mitton adds her drive to “transform the way they see us.” .

Nora Quintanilla