In their latest artistic venture, filmmaker, model, and designer Peshawn Bread (Comanche/Kiowa/Cherokee) recently announced the creation of their own fashion house; House of Sutai. The name comes from the Comanche word for “Bless”, which Bread has always held dearly to themselves, and what they now hope to share with their audience. This aspect is just one of many that they aim to explore through House of Sutai, in what they call “a marriage between filmmaking and fashion.”
Bread’s interest in fashion and designing clothes goes as far back as they can remember, always being excited to read through the different magazines that their mother subscribed to. The name “House of Sutai” originally came to them when they were 19, after winning 2nd place in a Native American clothing contest. Afterward, they dabbled in the project on and off again over the years, at first, unsure if they could balance both of their passions. It was in the midst of the writer’s strike this year, however, that they started to feel a pull towards this pursuit again.
“Fast forward to now, as I sit in strike and strive for something to create, I decided now it’s time. It’s either now or never. My partner said to me ‘During this time, maybe you’ll focus on your true passion: fashion’ and as much as I hate to admit, they were absolutely right!”
After announcing House of Sutai on their Instagram page on August 29th, Bread debuted their first collection of necklaces just a week later. The collection contained four dazzling pieces that introduced Bread’s brand with a powerful and eye-catching impact. The necklaces were made with various gemstones and minerals, along with dentalium and brass accents, all materials that Bread has enjoyed working with in their previous jewelry projects. Their passion for blending their tribal histories and their eye for imagery was easily seen both in the work themselves as well as the modeling photos featuring their partner, Cole Forrest.
“I asked my partner if they could model and they agreed to let me shoot their beauty in my shower while doused in coconut oil! The first drop, I wanted to show the eclectic looks of the necklaces and how we can have something so elegant and casual, and be reminded of our heritage through an accessory.”
Aside from House of Sutai, Bread is widely celebrated for their work in the film industry, including their short film; “The Daily Life of Mistress Red”. Even before the announcement of their fashion house, their memorable style and love of design were always elements that were present in their projects.
“I feel that my passions of filmmaking and fashion are forever spiraled…I see myself striving to be the Comanche Tom Ford. I hope to make short films with models wearing my collections and bringing the audience into my designs through visual intimacy”
With House of Sutai being in such early development, Bread has been elated to see the outpour of support from their fellow native designers, as well as from the wider Indigenous community. Their plans to build the brand into a fashion house designing their own clothing collections begin with more jewelry releases, with hopes to eventually venture into collaborations with other brands. As a personal goal for themselves, Bread even hopes to see some of their work debut at next year’s SWAIA.
From film to designing, Bread’s work is always a wonder to behold, and the future of their latest project is sure to bring more of their unique charm to the world of Indigenous fashion. “The fact that Sutai is at 700 followers has left a huge imprint on my heart. It humbled me to see how many people wanted to join me on the journey of designing and that also means I have 700 relatives looking for designs so I gotta WERK and not disappoint…I want to continue to build Sutai into a fashion house where full collections could be made in-house and be available to Indigenous peoples everywhere.”
To learn more about and follow House of Sutai, you can check them out on Instagram @houseofsutai and on Facebook as House of Sutai.
