Last weekend, over in New York City, a new designer made their fashion week debut, featuring indigenous fashion and designers alike.

In the world of fashion, numerous fashion shows take place around the globe, including those in New York, France and Milan, to name a few. A few of the most notable fashion brands that we hear when we think of fashion week are Prada, Gucci and more.

However, this fashion week was the first annual Indigenous Fashion Week that was composed of not only indigenous designers but also artists and models as well. The lineup features designers from North, South, Central America and beyond.

As someone reconnecting with her culture, it’s amazing to see indigenous representation in the fashion world, evident in both designers and models alike. Growing up, I did not really see any indigenous fashion outside of going to powwows with my family during both spring and summer break, which was my first real interest in fashion. At the powwows, we would browse the various stalls where individuals were showcasing and selling their beadwork, jewelry and outfits.

When watching the live stream and checking out the Fashion Week’s Instagram @indigenousnyfw, I was able to relive the same feeling I had when browsing through the stalls at the powwows and seeing all the beautiful creations that people made. Each post on their Instagram story leading up to the actual runway show gave followers a glimpse of pop-up events, some behind-the-scenes looks and the excitement of both those attending and working on the event. All of this culminated in the runway show that was live-streamed on both Saturday, Sept. 13, and Sunday, Sept. 14.

Now, while there have been indigenous fashion designers and models outside of this specific event and have had their work shown in other runways and publications, this event has many indigenous individuals working, from designers to the crew that made the show possible. One of the groups was RealtiveArts, a community space, along with being a space studio and shop that showcases contemporary indigenous fashion and designs. The community space is owned and operated by two indigenous women, Korrina Emmerich (Puyallup) and Liana Shewey (Mvskoke)

While this event will happen annually as they advertised, I hope that in the future there can be more fashion shows like this, which it allows designers to blend their culture into their work and have a space to share their creations with the world in the most easily digestible format we know. I know for me, some of the ways I have learn about other cultures has been through various art mediums, like fashion in this case. Seeing how someone can create beautiful art that is grounded in their culture has always fascinated me and led me to learn about other cultures I do not know that much about or see.

So, whether you have the knowledge and skills to make the most stunning outfit inspired by your own culture or can make the most beautiful jewelry, I say just do it. Even if it does not reach the level that Indigenous Fashion Week was able to, I would not be surprised if someone stopped and asked you about the amazing jewelry, outfit or other creations that one person can make when they have the love and passion to do so.