Last Saturday evening, the entrance to the historic Eldorado Hotel in downtown Santa Fe doubled as an eye-catching street-style scene that could rival any major fashion capital. Decked out guests, sporting their finest Indigenous-made designs and jewelry (including the most jaw-dropping turquoise squash blossom necklaces you’ve ever seen), arrived in droves for the 2026 SWAIA Native Fashion Week gala and fashion show, which showcased the latest works of five contemporary Indigenous designers: Jamie Okuma, Pamela Baker, Patricia Michaels, Jontay Kahm, and Lauren Good Day.
It’s not the first time that the mythic New Mexico city has transformed into an exciting Native fashion hub, of course: Every August, the Santa Fe Indian Market gathers over 1,000 Indigenous artists and designers from over 200 different tribal nations, all of whom take over the downtown plaza to display and sell their various works. This past weekend, however, that same style buzz was injected into one of Santa Fe’s slower months—bringing together a unique crowd of Indigenous trailblazers and innovators that instantly livened up the city. The mission of this weekend? To spotlight artists who are infusing traditional craftwork—from leatherwork to beadwork and beyond—with fresh, contemporary twists.
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