On the Runway at Native Nations Fashion Night

Now in its fifth year, Native Nations Fashion Night (NNFN) brought Indigenous excellence to the Twin Cities during the last weekend of April. I was honored to be among those in the audience to take in the stylish soiree, which featured couture looks created by six talented designers from across Turtle Island (how many tribal communities refer to North America), as well as a host of memorable moments, including an official Minnesota state proclamation from Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (White Earth Band of Ojibwe), who presented acclaimed Anishinaabe textile artist, fashion designer, and event founder and producer Delina White (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe) with a plaque to mark the occasion.

The event brought back sweet memories of the same festive fete back in 2023, which White tapped me to emcee. The theme that night was “Northern Lights,” and the show highlighted designers from both Minnesota and Alaska, including celebrated two-spirit Yup’ik artist Golga Oscar. For me, an Alaska Native Tlingit tribal member who was born in southeast Alaska and grew up in northwestern Minnesota, the evening proved particularly meaningful. In so many ways, it brought together my two homes.

The 2025 edition of NNFN, dubbed “I Am Water / Nibi Indow / Mni Waun,” focused on the life-giving powers of the water that surrounds us and sustains us. Fittingly, the event took place on a Friday at the InterContinental St. Paul Riverfront hotel (thanks to generous support from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe), situated on the bank of the mighty Mississippi—an all-important waterway stretching across this land and connecting countless communities. The evening kicked off with a multimedia presentation illuminating the importance of water, including a video from noted Native rights advocate Autumn Peltier. Just 20 years old, the Anishinaabe activist has already been fighting for water rights for years, including addressing the United Nations when she was just 13.

The presentation detailing Peltier’s work offered a prime example of how an Indigenous worldview underpins events like this, while also serving as the inspiration behind the designs donned by Native models on the runway. In this case, the focus was on our undeniable bond with the natural world.

As she has told me, White is very much living her dream. At the same time, she’s helping others live theirs—again reflecting Indigenous values. After all, it’s not about spotlighting the individual but instead about celebrating the community. That certainly was not lost on Friday’s event attendees, numbering in the hundreds. Among the honored guests were Native notables such as acclaimed author Louise Erdrich, who also owns the BIPOC-focused shop Birchbark Books in Minneapolis, as well as Flanagan, who is currently the highest-ranking Indigenous woman elected to executive office in the United States.

The lieutenant governor also walked the runway in White’s designs alongside her 12-year-old daughter, Siobhan. In any other setting, this mother-daughter moment might have been easily overlooked. But here, in community, it symbolized something bigger than just a special family snapshot. Holding hands as they sashayed down the catwalk, the duo proudly represented the Native matriarchs that have come before them as well as those that will come after them. It was the perfect conclusion to an evening applauding Indigenous excellence and showcasing the connection between past, present, and future—a Native future that, despite the dark moments of the past, looks very bright.

Kate Nelson is an Alaska Native Tlingit tribal member and an award-winning independent journalist based in Minneapolis who focuses on amplifying important Indigenous change makers and issues. Her writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, Time, the BBC, and The Guardian.