Celebrating Native American History Month: Indigenous Fashion Designers – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

As our society leans into fast fashion, these overlooked
indigenous designers are pushing against the industry to shift
consumer focus to appreciate fashion as wearable art. In
celebration of Native American History Month, Cowan, Liebowitz
& Latman invites you to learn more about these indigenous
fashion designers.

Keri Ataumbi

Keri Ataumbi was raised on the Wind River Reservation in
Wyoming. Her mother ran a trading post, and her father earned a
reputation for his well-crafted bronze sculptures. Against this
background, Keri learned about traditional Native American
aesthetics and contemporary art theory from an early age. She
attended the Rhode Island School of Design, the Institute of
American Indian Arts, and the College of Santa Fe. Now, Keri is a
well-publicized and awarded jeweler, running her own company named
Ataumbi Metals. She sees her jewelry as carrying powerful
narratives that completely transform how we appear through the
stories that the jewelry carries. Keri has even had the pleasure of
designing and creating jewelry for U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Deb Haaland’s photo shoot with Camila Falquez and interview
with Allie Young.

Jamie Okuma

Jamie Okuma is a Luiseño, Shosone-Bannock, Wailaki, and
Okinawan fashion designer from Southern California. She is enrolled
in the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians and grew up on their
reservation. Jamie isn’t the only designer in her family; her
mother was a graphic designer who worked for MCA Records. When her
family moved to the reservation, Jamie’s mother encouraged her
to learn beadwork. As a teen, she earned money by sewing regalia
for others. She often accompanied her mother to Native American art
shows. Jamie began her professional career by creating beaded dolls
in fully beaded regalia. Eventually, she shifted her focus to
high-end fashion, after realizing she had reached her limit in
doll-making and intensive beadwork. Her work has been shown in
several art institutions across the globe. Some of her pieces are
in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the
Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Smithsonian’s National
Museum of the American Indian.

Lesley Hampton

Lesley Hampton is an Anishinaabe artist and fashion designer
from Toronto, Canada, and a member of the Temagami First Nation.
Her strong sense of identity compels her to devote her time
conveying both style and activism. Lesley released her first line
in her first semester of college, and her pieces were shown at
Vancouver Fashion Week and, later, by Vogue Runway. The very next
year, her showcase featured a woman who lost her leg in the Boston
Marathon Bombing, five plus-sized women, and one woman with
Albinism. Lesley continues to use her work to support body
positivity and authentic representation in fashion. She has been
named “an important face in the Canadian fashion
landscape” by The Globe and Mail and featured in articles by
Vogue and ELLE.

As Native American History Month comes to a close, Cowan,
Liebowitz & Latman encourages you to recognize
diversity and inclusion every month.

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