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Native Vote: Fashion in Action, an Indigenous Fashion Show

Join us Friday, Oct. 30 for an unforgettable night!

We are excited to bring together Indigenous fashion designers, models, artists, and community members for a professionally produced runway experience that celebrates Indigenous creativity, identity, culture, storytelling, and the Native right to vote.

The event will also create an opportunity to encourage informed, nonpartisan civic engagement and encourage attendees to use their voices to vote on November 3. Together, we will generate meaningful conversations around voting, community leadership, cultural responsibility, and participation in civic life.

Click here for the Fashion designer info

Fashion designer application is now open!

Application deadline: Friday, Sept. 11

$1,000 DESIGNER HONORARIUM

Design Challenge Awards:

First Place — $400

Second Place — $300

Third Place — $200

Apply here by filling out the form

GREETINGS, FASHION DESIGNERS!

Thank you for your interest in participating in Native Vote: Fashion in Action, an Indigenous fashion show.

We are excited to bring together Indigenous fashion designers, models, artists, and community members for a professionally produced runway experience that celebrates Indigenous creativity, identity, culture, storytelling, and the Native right to vote.

The event will also create an opportunity to encourage informed, nonpartisan civic engagement and encourage attendees to use their voices to vote on November 3. Together, we will generate meaningful conversations around voting, community leadership, cultural responsibility, and participation in civic life.

WE ARE SEEKING SIX WISCONSIN INDIGENOUS FASHION DESIGNERS

Six featured designers will be selected to participate in the runway presentation.

Jennifer J. Benally will also participate as a featured designer while serving as fashion show producer and creative director.

Each selected external featured designer will receive a $1,000 DESIGNER HONORARIUM

The designer honorarium will be provided by Wisconsin Conservation Voices.

EVENT THEME

Native Vote: Fashion in Action

Your collection. Your creative voice. One garment. One challenge. Fashion in action.

The overall fashion show celebrates the unique voices and creative perspectives of Indigenous designers.

There is no required theme for your overall runway collection.  The only specifically themed garment requirement is the Civic Engagement Design Challenge described in the next section below.

Selected designers are encouraged to bring their own creative vision, style, cultural influences, storytelling, and artistic expression to the runway.

Collections may represent:

  • Contemporary Indigenous fashion

  • Cultural or traditional influences

  • Personal storytelling

  • Community

  • Identity

  • Innovation

  • Couture

  • Streetwear

  • Ready-to-wear

  • Wearable art

  • Other forms of Indigenous fashion expression

Each featured designer will present a collection highlighting Indigenous fashion and cultural storytelling.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT DESIGN CHALLENGE

As part of the runway presentation, each featured designer is required to create one original garment specifically for the Civic Engagement Design Challenge.

The garment should be inspired by one or more of the following:

  • Civic engagement through voting, registering to vote and/or advocating to vote

  • Community leadership and cultural responsibility of passing on the importance of voting

  • The importance of using your voice to vote in upcoming elections

The Civic Engagement Design Challenge is intended to encourage thoughtful artistic expression while promoting education and awareness through fashion.

Designers are encouraged to interpret these ideas through their own artistic, cultural, and creative perspective.

The goal is not to tell designers what the garment should look like, but to encourage designers to explore questions such as:

  • Why is voting important to you?

  • What does leadership look like within your community?

  • What does cultural responsibility mean to you?

  • What does passing on your knowledge of voting to future generations mean to you?

  • How can fashion tell a story about community participation, leadership, responsibility, and voting?

  • How does voting impact your Native community?

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT DESIGN CHALLENGE AWARDS

First Place — $400

Second Place — $300

Third Place — $200

Award recipients will be selected using criteria established collaboratively by Wisconsin Conservation Voices, Wisconsin Native Vote, and the Fashion Show Producer.

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October 3

Powwow the Vote