Native American Fashion

The World Culture Museum opens a space to encounter Native American styles and traditions, moving between history, the future, and the present. You will meet fashion from streetwear to high-end, with rarely seen historical regalia in an exhibition that challenges stereotypes.

Through four themes, the exhibition explores craftsmanship, traditions, symbols, materials, techniques, and identities among Indigenous peoples of North America. The journey spans from early European contact with Indigenous design and fashion to resistance, activism, and the restoration of traditions—while also looking toward the future, firmly rooted in the past.

One example of the iconic garments on display is a vintage dress by Lloyd Kiva New, a Cherokee designer and founder of the Institute of American Indian Arts. Another is a ribbon skirt by Bonita Woodie of the Diné brand Big Water Design. Woodie was the first Native American designer showcased at Milan Fashion Week in the 1990s. Ribbon skirts became a symbol in the ongoing fight for social justice. Designer and veteran Dante Biss-Grayson (Osage) contributes several garments, using symbolic handprints to draw attention to the critical issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Award-winning designer Jontay Kahm (Plains Cree) offers a glimpse into a growing high-end fashion scene.

For many designers, a major driving force is demonstrating that Indigenous peoples still exist despite colonization, oppression, and predictions that their cultures would disappear. The exhibition highlights a diversity of voices and perspectives from both Canada and the United States.

Traditions live on.

Native American Fashion opens with a celebration on April 11, 2025, and will be on display until November 2, 2026.