Four Native American designers showcased their work during a fashion show at the All My Relatives Festival.
About 30 models from across the United States and Canada walked a red carpet behind the Levitt stage in Sioux Falls Saturday. They displayed clothes, bags, hairstyles and makeup by Native Americans.
"Just to bring it to Sioux Falls is something memorable to me. I haven’t seen a fashion show that was all Indigenous-based since 2015,” Kyrie Dunkley, a designer who helped organize the event, said.
Dunkley owns Shinin’ Star Style and said this was her second fashion show. Before models presented her designs, a young woman danced in a jingle dress Dunkley made. The jingle dress came to her in a dream following the passing of her husband.
Dunkley said seeing her designs on stage was incredibly meaningful.
“I wanted to cry,” she said. “Just seeing [the] dance was so powerful. And I feel like it was a healing moment not just for me, but for everybody that was part of the show.”
Kristie Mattos, the Mrs. South Dakota USA Ambassador, is a house parent at St. Joseph’s Indian School. A collection of shirts she created to raise awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women was modeled by the kids she works with.
As they modeled, Mattos sang two original songs about helping missing and murdered Indigenous women. She said they were produced with the help of other Indigenous musicians.
1 of 12
— fashion show 59.jpg
Kyrie Dunkley of Shinin' Star Style, Yolanda OldDwarf of Sweet Sage Woman, Mrs. South Dakota USA Ambassador Kristie Mattos and Family Affair LLC all had designs in the fashion show. In addition to the clothing and accessories, the hair and makeup was also done by Native Americans.
Elizabeth Jones / SDPB
2 of 12
— fashion show 61.jpg
Kyrie Dunkley of Shinin' Star Style, Yolanda OldDwarf of Sweet Sage Woman, Mrs. South Dakota USA Ambassador Kristie Mattos and Family Affair LLC all had designs in the fashion show. In addition to the clothing and accessories, the hair and makeup was also done by Native Americans.
Elizabeth Jones / SDPB
3 of 12
— fashion show 28.jpg
Kyrie Dunkley of Shinin' Star Style, Yolanda OldDwarf of Sweet Sage Woman, Mrs. South Dakota USA Ambassador Kristie Mattos and Family Affair LLC all had designs in the fashion show. In addition to the clothing and accessories, the hair and makeup was also done by Native Americans.
Elizabeth Jones / SDPB
4 of 12
— fashion show 23.jpg
Kyrie Dunkley of Shinin' Star Style, Yolanda OldDwarf of Sweet Sage Woman, Mrs. South Dakota USA Ambassador Kristie Mattos and Family Affair LLC all had designs in the fashion show. In addition to the clothing and accessories, the hair and makeup was also done by Native Americans.
Elizabeth Jones / SDPB
5 of 12
— fashion show 45.jpg
Kyrie Dunkley of Shinin' Star Style, Yolanda OldDwarf of Sweet Sage Woman, Mrs. South Dakota USA Ambassador Kristie Mattos and Family Affair LLC all had designs in the fashion show. In addition to the clothing and accessories, the hair and makeup was also done by Native Americans.
Elizabeth Jones / SDPB
6 of 12
— fashion show 18.jpg
Kyrie Dunkley of Shinin' Star Style, Yolanda OldDwarf of Sweet Sage Woman, Mrs. South Dakota USA Ambassador Kristie Mattos and Family Affair LLC all had designs in the fashion show. In addition to the clothing and accessories, the hair and makeup was also done by Native Americans.
Elizabeth Jones / SDPB
7 of 12
— fashion show 36.jpg
Kyrie Dunkley of Shinin' Star Style, Yolanda OldDwarf of Sweet Sage Woman, Mrs. South Dakota USA Ambassador Kristie Mattos and Family Affair LLC all had designs in the fashion show. In addition to the clothing and accessories, the hair and makeup was also done by Native Americans.
Elizabeth Jones / SDPB
8 of 12
— fashion show 53.jpg
Kyrie Dunkley of Shinin' Star Style, Yolanda OldDwarf of Sweet Sage Woman, Mrs. South Dakota USA Ambassador Kristie Mattos and Family Affair LLC all had designs in the fashion show. In addition to the clothing and accessories, the hair and makeup was also done by Native Americans.
Elizabeth Jones / SDPB
9 of 12
— fashionshow5.jpg
Kyrie Dunkley of Shinin' Star Style, Yolanda OldDwarf of Sweet Sage Woman, Mrs. South Dakota USA Ambassador Kristie Mattos and Family Affair LLC all had designs in the fashion show. In addition to the clothing and accessories, the hair and makeup was also done by Native Americans.
Elizabeth Jones / SDPB
10 of 12
— fashionshow14.jpg
Kyrie Dunkley of Shinin' Star Style, Yolanda OldDwarf of Sweet Sage Woman, Mrs. South Dakota USA Ambassador Kristie Mattos and Family Affair LLC all had designs in the fashion show. In addition to the clothing and accessories, the hair and makeup was also done by Native Americans.
Elizabeth Jones / SDPB
11 of 12
— fashionshow17.jpg
Kyrie Dunkley of Shinin' Star Style, Yolanda OldDwarf of Sweet Sage Woman, Mrs. South Dakota USA Ambassador Kristie Mattos and Family Affair LLC all had designs in the fashion show. In addition to the clothing and accessories, the hair and makeup was also done by Native Americans.
Elizabeth Jones / SDPB
12 of 12
— dance.jpg
Kyrie Dunkley of Shinin' Star Style, Yolanda OldDwarf of Sweet Sage Woman, Mrs. South Dakota USA Ambassador Kristie Mattos and Family Affair LLC all had designs in the fashion show. In addition to the clothing and accessories, the hair and makeup was also done by Native Americans.
Elizabeth Jones / SDPB
Yolanda OldDwarf of Sweet Sage Woman also had designs in the show. She said she was inspired to get into fashion design after battling post-partum depression. Her collections are about self-love and gratitude.
“My second line was called I Love Me, because gosh darn it I was never taught how to love myself. I was never taught that self-love, that self-compassion that we need in life. And I would like to blame colonization for that,” OldDwarf said. “That line was encouraging people to love yourself.”
Family Affairs LLC designed bags and fabrics that were featured in the show, and co-owner Denise Hill said the fashion show was a confidence boost even though she has been sewing for over 45 years.
“When I make it and everything, it’s like ‘okay, I wonder if I can do it,’” she said. “And then, once I do get it together and everything, to see it on that stage is beautiful.”
Following the show, the models and designers had a meet and greet with audience members where the designers sold their work.
The All My Relatives Festival was hosted by a partnership between Levitt at the Falls and South Dakota State University’s Wokini Initiative.
