The time is finally here, Phoenix Fashion Week! And I am beyond excited for my favorite emerging designer, ACONAV! You have probably seen my many posts this past year, raving about the talented Native American fashion designer Loren Aragon. He makes breathtakingly beautiful gowns inspired by Acoma pottery designs!
Phoenix Fashion week wasn’t even on my radar until Loren and the ACONAV team reached out to me. I’m so thankful that they did! I learned so much about Phoenix Fashion Week and the many opportunities it opens for emerging fashion designers like the fabulous husband and wife team of ACONAV. By the way, ACONAV is a clever portmanteau representing the Acoma heritage of Loren and the Navajo heritage of his lovely wife, Valentina Aragon. But I also can’t forget Loren’s adorable mother who also makes up the ACONAV Team.
As a Navajo fashionista, I quickly became entranced by ACONAV’s authentic Native American designs. I was blown away when Loren described how he designs the prints on each garment himself, and has them printed on silk. It is truly refreshing to see Natives like Loren take a leadership role in the fashion industry, because in this day and age Native American designs tend to be commercialized by non-Natives. I was amazed too, when Loren said that he has an engineering background. But you can see how he applies that knowledge if you see one of his gowns flow down the runway – it immediately catches your eye. The intricacy of the cuts and the dynamic movement of the patterns and the fabric make his shows mesmerizing and unforgettable.
The ACONAV team are excellent stewards of their Native American culture. Not only can you see the influence of their culture in the designs of their gowns, but they also extended a generous invitation to me and my husband to join their family for the annual Acoma Harvest Feast in September. The trip itself could be a whole blog post in itself. But if you ask me, the only way to describe the Acoma Pueblo Feast is, divine. From ascending the time worn stairways, to the food and the dancers, it was all so rich and illuminating. The Feast really gives you a feel for the vibrant spirit and creativity of the Acoma that ACONAV portrays with his designs.
I am looking forward to ACONAV’s Spring reveal this coming Saturday, October 15th. I hope that at the finale of Phoenix Fashion Week ACONAV will be awarded Emerging Designer of the Year. I invite you all to come to the show! I am happy to have received my ACONAV Matriarch Scarf dress just in time for the big show! It goes perfectly with the Parrots Flight scarf that I got a while back. I’ve been playing dress-up all evening to get ready for the big day tomorrow. Good luck ACONAV!
If you don’t already check out their website http://www.aconav.com/ and follow ACONAV!
Instagram:ACONAV
Facebook: ACONAV
