In the Indigenous fashion world , Jamie Okuma has been showcasing her distinctive ready-to-wear collections at events like the Santa Fe Indian Market for years now, and is already considered to be at the top of her class. (In the art world, her beadwork and soft sculptures have also been displayed at museums such as the Smithsonian and the Met.) But this season, Okuma—who is Shoshone-Bannock and Luiseño, hailing from the La Jolla Indian Reservation in California—marks a new career chapter, by making a historic entry into the main CFDA New York Fashion Week calendar, becoming the first Native designer to do so. (A long-overdue milestone.) “To be on the calendar is very cool—and a lot of pressure,” says Okuma, who is also one of the finalists in the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund this year
Native American Designer Jamie Okuma Makes a Historic NYFW Debut

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