Korina Emmerich Is the 2026 Pratt Fashion Visionary, And It’s Exactly Right
Pratt Institute has named Korina Emmerich, New York-based Indigenous fashion designer and founder of EMME Studio, as the recipient of the 2026 Pratt Fashion Visionary Award. A longtime NativeMax favorite, Emmerich’s holistic, community-rooted approach to design has long been reshaping what fashion is capable of. The recognition from one of the country’s most prestigious design institutions feels, in a word, overdue.
Always in Fashion: Amber-Dawn Bear Robe’s Landmark Exhibition Rewrites the Rules of Indigenous Design
Curated by Siksika Nation’s Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, founder of Native Fashion Week, Always in Fashion opens May 1, 2026 at the Textile Museum of Canada. The exhibition brings together more than two dozen Indigenous designers to challenge colonial frameworks, reclaim cultural narratives, and affirm what the Indigenous fashion world has always known: they were the blueprint.
El Techichi: An Inscription of Jewelry as Evocation, Home, & Accession
Jewelry designer Omar Monroy creates pieces that carry memory, land, and lineage. Through her practice, El Techichi, stones, shells, and pearls become stories—evoking family, migration, and the living geographies of Turtle Island and Abya Yala.
Story and Photography by Nat Armenta
Peshawn Bread Collaborates with Manitobah on Bold, Story-Driven Dancer Tall Lace-Up Boot
Comanche, Kiowa, and Cherokee designer Peshawn Bread partners with Manitobah to create the Dancer Tall Lace-Up Boot—an elevated design featuring cedar medicine imagery, protective arrow symbolism, and a Turtle Sole by Cree artist Heather Endall.
Behind the Seams: Michaella Montana Reclaims Indigenous Fashion Through Film
Award-winning host and journalist Michaella Montana steps into a new role as creator and showrunner of Behind the Seams, an eight-episode documentary series spotlighting Indigenous fashion designers from around the world. Having premiered on January 20, 2026, the all-women-led production treats Indigenous fashion as high art, centering cultural sovereignty, craftsmanship, and the designers reshaping the global luxury landscape.
SWAIA Native Fashion Week Returns to Santa Fe with a Curated, Story-Driven Format for 2026
SWAIA Native Fashion Week returns May 8–9, 2026 in Santa Fe with a refined, single-venue format designed to elevate Native designers through deeper storytelling, immersive experiences, and a destination-style weekend at the Eldorado Hotel & Spa.
Canada Arts & Fashion Awards Introduces the Inaugural Indigenous Fashion Award Honouree: Dorothy Grant
The Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards has named Dorothy Grant as the inaugural Indigenous Fashion Award honouree, recognizing more than four decades of groundbreaking work. A Haida artist and designer who pioneered the fusion of traditional Haida formline with high fashion, Grant’s legacy spans international museum collections, the Order of Canada, and a historic acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her career has not only reshaped Canadian fashion, but firmly positioned Indigenous excellence at its center.
SECTION 35 Nominated for Menswear of the Year at CAFA 2026
Section 35 has been nominated for Menswear of the Year at CAFA 2026, recognizing founder Justin Jacob Louis for his bold, sovereignty-driven approach to contemporary Indigenous fashion. What began as a vision rooted in identity and resistance now stands among Canada’s top menswear brands.
Heather Diamond Strongarm Nominated for Model of the Year at the 2026 Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards
Indigenous supermodel Heather Diamond Strongarm has been nominated for Model of the Year at the 2026 Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards. From opening Dior in Paris to advocating for MMIW and LGBTQ+ communities, the Saulteaux-Cree model continues to redefine what representation looks like on the global runway.
SACRD THNDR Recognized as Emerging Talent at the 2026 Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards
SACRD THNDR has been nominated for Emerging Talent in Accessories at the 2026 Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA), marking a significant milestone for the Indigenous luxury brand.
