With Native American cultures inspiring and influencing the broader fashion industry these days (you can see it splattered all over fashion magazines and catalogues), I think it's time we start including (actual) Native American artists in this movement, rather than just our awesome inspiring cultures. I mean, we (the people) still exist.And this is one of the reasons why I decided to launch the Boutique.
Since the mainstream fashion world doesn't seem to be too keen on giving diversity a chance (and I mean in terms of representation of designers and models from diverse ethnic backgrounds), the new Beyond Buckskin Boutique hopes to create that platform - the platform that has been (and continues to be) denied to Native American fashion designers.
The world of fashion is a hard knock life. It involves long hours, irregular schedules, high costs, unique creative ideas, and, in addition to mastery of diverse skills in couture, you also have to wear many hats (as agent, PR, coordinator, and sales rep). That's where BBB steps in - hopefully to alleviate some of those additional tasks that designers are expected to engage in so they can focus more on the creative side if they want.
One aspect of this new venture that I'm particularly excited about is the Featured Designer spot. This is when we get to celebrate one particular artist, we get to appreciate the cool things they do, and they're going to try to hook us up with limited edition styles and/or special deals for Beyond Buckskin shoppers.
I have big plans to buy one thing from each designer, because, first of all, they are amazing. Secondly, even the big timers like Virgil Ortiz make us a deal so that even if we're on a budget (like myself) we can still afford to add some Native chic to our closets. Third, over time I'm going to build quite the badass Native fashion collection. And fourth, it's about time to #buynativemade.
Note: New Native designers and and new items will be added to the Beyond Buckskin Boutique often, so check back with the site often!