Choctaw Nation hosts all Indigenous fashion show during the October Inter-Tribal Meeting

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma hosted a Native American fashion show for the first time on October 6, 2022.

The event occurred during the Thursday night banquet as part of the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes.

The fashion show featured pieces from two Oklahoma-based designers, Jessica Moore Harjo, Ph.D., with Weomepe Designs and Isabella Aiukli Cornell with Aiukli Designs.

During the show, models walked a runway that extended into the banquet tables where guests could view the designs. There were about 30 models between both designers.

Cornell is a Choctaw artist, scholar and advocate. She is the firstborn daughter of Sarah Adams and the granddaughter of Tami Adams. Her business is Aiukli Designs, where she indigenizes wearable art for the modern warrior woman. Cornell specializes in ribbon skirts, beadwork and dentalium jewelry. She has been beading since she was 13 and sewing since she was 16. Her mother and grandmother taught her. Her art has been featured in various fashion shows, including the grand opening of the First Americans Museum a year ago. Cornell’s work has also been featured in Vogue.

Harjo is the founder and owner of Weomepe Designs, a small business that provides graphic design services and operates as an online design shop with jewelry, wearable art and other creative design products. Weomepe Designs has products in various museums, shops, and centers across Oklahoma. Jessica was a featured designer in the 2021 First Americans Museum Grand Opening, the 2021 Winter Art Market (FAM-WHAM) Fashion Show, and the Teton Fashion Summit in June 2022.
To learn more about these designers and their work, please visit weomepedesigns.com and Aiukli Designs on Instagram.