(upbeat music)
- This woman said, "Bethany?"
and it was Selby Drummond from Vogue.
And I was like, "Oh my god, what are you doing?"
And she's like, "We're going to the Tibi Show."
"Come with us."
it was literally the entire editorial staff from Vogue.
They moved space over and let me sit with them.
It was amazing.
(techno music)
This week, I'm in New York for the first time.
Back home before I decided to go to fashion school,
I thought about going to New York,
but it felt so far away, and like it was really unrealistic.
I feel like now is the time and the moment
and it's going to be magical.
I'm at the National Museum of American Indian
going to the Native Fashion Now exhibit.
(techno music)
The Native Fashion Now exhibit is 75 indigenous designers
coming together to showcase the diversity
of what contemporary native fashion is.
(photographer sets up shot)
(subjects greet each other)
It's Jared Yazzie with OXDX.
What I love about Jared is that he's so
just loud about his message.
He doesn't have to be PC really.
- It's great that people can come in and see
that native people are still working
and still creating amazing things
'cause I think people look at native people
as kind of relics or as only seen in history books
type of thing, so it's great to see it out in the public.
- [Bethany] I love Patricia.
She put us definitely on the map in different type of ways.
She carried herself with such grace.
Like I was watching my aunty on TV.
For me as a young person, to see her doing that,
I'm like, "I can do that."
- The importance of this exhibit is showing
the diversity of Native American fashion.
For once, we have the largest group in exhibition
of Native American fashion representing as many as
the museums can hold and the curator could hold.
This is such a wonderful opportunity for us.
- So tell us a little bit about it.
- In Crow culture, we use elk teeth.
They're part of our women's traditional regalia
and to complete an entire elk tooth dress,
you need like 600 elk teeth.
It was a wedding dress.
The groom would make it for the bride
and it would show we're providers,
we're hunters, we're caretakers.
I still wanted something that said Crow,
but at the same time this says Bethany
where it's like a little sexy using some leather.
- It's beautiful, Bethany.
- I'm really excited to be a part
of this exhibit because it's a stepping stone
to where native people are going.
My only, I guess, kind of qualms about it,
are that we're always in museums.
We're always in institutions and we're always on display.
I have relatives who have their pieces in there.
These relics that are in there are not just relics
and we're a continuation of the people,
but we're always on display and I refuse
for that to be my peak.
Today, I'm heading to Brooklyn to meet
with Idris and Tony for head shots.
I'm not one to be in front of the camera very often
so this'll be interesting.
Hi, it's Bethany.
(sighs)
I was like practicing this morning.
Just kidding.
Idris and Tony are a photographer and creative duo.
They're incredible and they've worked
with the biggest names in fashion.
- [Tony] Have you enjoyed New York?
- It's treated me so good.
For coming here for the first time,
I couldn't have asked for a better experience.
- Wait, it's your first time in New York?
- It's my first time in New York.
- Okay, that's intense.
- I know.
- Originally, I was just planning to go to New York
the week of the Native Fashion Now exhibit
and then I had an email and it said,
"Anna Wintour and Vogue cordially invite"
"you to Diversity in Fashion."
And I was like, "Oh, my god, is this real?"
I got to meet Anna Wintour.
- How was that for you?
- She gave me the nod like she approved 'cause I kind
of like, I got pretty ballsy at the diversity panel.
- Well, she likes that.
I think she's very like, cause people don't approach her.
- Totally, and like so that diversity panel,
they're like, "We wanna have the hard conversations."
And so at the end, they were about to close it
and I kept raising my hand and nothing, so I stood up.
I was like, "Excuse me" and I was like, "Excuse me"
I said, "So, the designers in the room, as you're
being inspired by those Navajo things or those
plain Indian headdresses," I said,
"remember those have stories and those have"
"real authentic truths attached to them"
"and it also means that as the editors and writers"
"in this room" and I said, "so, Anna" and I said,
"Elaine" and then I looked at the editor of GQ and said,
"How are you gonna be accountable to native people?"
And they were just like, the room was just like.
I like called them out, but I mean that was a space
where they were really trying to have that conversation
and it felt like they wanted to hear it.
- There's a big conversation centered around
I think Asian-Americans these days as well.
We have a project called The Persuasion Project, which
is addressing negative stereotypes that we have
to fight against, particularly amongst Asian men.
In fashion, there seems to be these steps forward
and then, you know, a step backwards and
if you want people to be receptive of what is outside
of the box, so to speak, that you're checking
that we're all forced to check, we have to be welcoming
and open to having that dialogue and creating that.
- The whole idea of having to have diversity
and labeling it as diversity, I think is not ideal.
- Right.
- It should always be diverse.
Have everyone at a table so that there are different
ideas and different points of view.
- Totally.
I agree with that.
I like that.
I went to that Vogue panel and then
all these people are like, "Yeah, come to our show"
and it was like really easy.
And then I got to sit front row, like.
- It's all about who you know.
- Right.
I don't know what else to do.
I don't know if I'm Supposed to smile or not.
- [Idris] Well, keep them serious for now.
(techno music)
- [Bethany] I got to go to New York
and make a major, major statement.
Made me realize it's more than possible
to be in that space 'cause I'm already there.
- I was
- Okay, awesome.
- I'm Keisha.
- Keisha, nice to meet you.
Beautiful.
I dropped the mic, I'm telling you.
New York definitely inspired me.
The unity really is what inspired me to be at Vogue,
to be with Idris and Tony, to be amongst other
creative people who are really trying to inspire change.
Really, that's the essence of my next collection.
The rise, the bloom and seeing myself, seeing
other women I'm surrounded by, seeing other people
I'm surrounded by, really step into their power,
step into their light.
I feel really hopeful because we're banding together
and New York's been a great reminder of that.
(rock music)
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