SWAIA PARTNERS WITH BALMAIN, LAUNCHES FASHION WEEK TO FURTHER NATIVE + INDIGENOUS ART

By: Erica Commisso

In August 2024, iconic fashion house Balmain took to a runway outside of New York, Milan, Paris or any other typical fashion city. The brand presented a preview of its Fall 2024 collection in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with each piece being worn by an Indigenous model. The historic moment came as a part of a partnership with the (Southwestern Association for Indian Arts) SWAIA, allowing the models to gain international exposure and highlight Indigenous representation on a global scale.

©Tira Howard Photography for SWAIA  

“Balmain is one of those big fashion houses, and we're just incredibly honored,” says SWAIA’s executive director Jamie Schulze. “It was really, really beautiful and I think it comes from the perspective of wanting to explore what it means to have collaborations with outside corporations and the growth with that and also to elevate our designers' voices in the world.”

Schulze has been at the helm of the organization for six years. What drew her is what she hopes draws many to SWAIA’s programming: a sense of community. In fact, it was one of the members of the community who helped SWAIA secure one of their biggest partnerships yet. 

“One of the attendees had brought a component of Balmain to a previous show and then followed up with other shows and moved forward in wanting to create that collaboration,” Schulze says. “So it was exciting but it was from the perspective of how we do our production. One of the folks would be Amber-Dawn (Bear-Robe, SWAIA’s Native Fashion producer). She was excited to invite them not only to our production and our runway this past event, but moving forward, understanding that this was an introduction into having a house actually use our models and coming to our production and participating.”

One of the most consistent themes in the work of the (SWAIA) is history: The history of its celebrated Indian Market, which spans 120 years, the history of Native and Indigenous art and the use of art in various modalities to tell the story of history and culture among Native and Indigenous populations.      

In that vein, SWAIA also unveiled a fashion week in Santa Fe, with the inaugural presentation being held in May of 2024. Directed by Amber-Dawn Bear-Robe, the first-ever U.S. Native fashion week brings the rich, cultured Indigenous and Native history to the forefront, using fashion as a means of storytelling. 

©Tira Howard Photography for SWAIA  

“A lot of the designers come from the place of making regalia and our traditional garments. So there's a beauty in seeing this innovation and learning more about it. That's been one of the things that I've really wanted to always make sure of, that there's an education component,” Schulze says. “Because beyond just a beautiful production, there's a lot of history into that Indigenous designer’s history and their connection back to their culture. And that's what I think is very cool too is it's opening eyes and opening minds to the possibility of ‘This actually relates to this type of beadwork.’ So I think fashion is a beautiful invitation into knowing more about history and native cultures.” 

SWAIA’s Indian Market and all of the ancillary programming, is of vital importance to the Santa Fe Indigenous community in terms of its economic value, too. Schulze says that many of those who participate in the event use the profits to sustain them for an entire year. It also allows them, she notes, to interact with people and share their stories. “This art changes perspectives,” she says. “We are an art market, but what I really, truly believe is that as we're trying to support preserving cultural techniques and life pathways that the innovation that comes from in those voices.” 

©Tira Howard Photography for SWAIA  

In terms of the future, Schulze hopes that more innovation and more partnerships and more awareness about Indigenous art comes out of growth, but that the spirit of SWAIA and the sense of community it brings remains steadfast. “We are all on this human journey together, but there is a real way that this type of - not only market, but this type of art in itself is so healing,” she says. “There is such collaboration about it and that should be the highlight, not our differences.”

cover Image: ©Tira Howard Photography for SWAIA