Indigenous Elegance banner
Milwaukee Harbor District is hosting “Indigenous Elegance” in collaboration with Native Nation Designs on June 14, where Indigenous culture, creativity and identity is being showcased and celebrated. The free, family-friendly outdoor event will have a vendor market complete with food, music and a fashion show at Harbor View Plaza from 5 to 8 pm. Joy Engine and Milwaukee Airwaves are additional sponsors.
Sabrina Lombardo, curator of “Indigenous Elegance,” is behind Native Nation Designs. An interdisciplinary artist, Lombardo describes her brand as “slow-fashion” that focuses on creating one-of-a-kind, genderfluid wearable garments, each of which tells a story. Growing up in Milwaukee, Lombardo has been interested in fashion for as long as she can remember. “I would sit out in the backyard as a child and make fairy clothes out of leaves and petals and branches,” she recalls. “In school I always majored in some sort of art field.”
Native Nation Designs brings Lombardo’s creative and cultural expressions to the forefront, celebrating the wearer’s individuality and uniqueness by way of satin textiles, vibrant colors and Indigenous couture methods. “My goal as a designer is to make you happy in what you’re wearing,” Lombardo says. “I take a lot of inspiration from my Tigua and Raramuri heritage with beadwork and applique.”
Vendors and Artists
“Indigenous Elegance” features vendors and artists Song of the Sun Ceramics, Katie Smith, Little Earth Creations, Moth Spit Arts, Sweetgrass Beads, Ina Marka, Yenepa Herbals and Felonee Marie Artistry. Creative mediums will include crochet, jewelry, clothing, pottery and more.
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Lombardo touches on the local Indigenous art community, “We have a presence throughout Milwaukee, but spaces can be very gate-kept and it can be hard to even know that they’re there.”
In putting this event together, Lombardo wanted to be inclusive to Indigenous vendors that are not necessarily tribally enrolled, adding, “Some of the models and vendors we’re working with are mixed, like myself. Our community is a beautiful blend of cultures, and I want everyone at this event to showcase their own uniqueness and represent themselves the way that they would like to be represented.”
The “Indigenous Elegance” fashion show kicks off at 6:30 p.m. sharp. Chairs will line the plaza sidewalk, effectively creating a runway. Cumbia DJs Ambulante Y Clandestino will be playing tunes with a special performance by flutist Melissa Lombardo planned during intermission as well. “I’m really excited to have all these amazing people and creatives in one space,” Sabrina Lombardo affirms. “We have a lot of talent in Milwaukee, and it warms my heart to bring our community together like this.”
For More Milwaukee Harbor District events, visit harbordistrict.org/events. For Native Nation Designs, visit nativenationdesigns.com.
