On the night of the show before a diverse and appreciative crowd, each model struck a couple of poses in silhouette behind a white sheet before striding down the catwalk. Werk said that, for many of them, the experience not only boosted their confidence but also opened their eyes to future possibilities in the fashion business.

“Many students are interested in the fashion industry. This gave them an opportunity to be photographed, and that work can go into a portfolio,” Werk said. “The designers opened their arms to students’ entrepreneurship questions. It’s opening doors.”

Whitford said he learned a lot about negotiation and working with people to figure out how to accommodate their needs and to encourage nervous models to exhibit confidence on the catwalk.

“I’m proud of everybody,” he said. “To have these opportunities opens more doors and more paths.”

Above all, the organizers said they felt gratified when their goals for the project were fulfilled.

“Our main vision was to have people see our culture portrayed in a modern light,” said Werk. “The environment was a completely safe space where everyone was encouraging and positive.”

Whitford added that the fashion show was the perfect way to bring the Native American cultural perspective into a modern, Western institution.

“People who don’t know about Indian community think we live in the past, but we are modernized people with different ways of incorporating our culture into modern styles of fashion or architecture,” he said. “We can’t live in the old ways, but we can’t live in the totally modern world or we’ll forget who we are.

“It’s healing, these different things we have,” he said. “I hope we continue doing these things for the community and show that we’re proud and make people feel included.”

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