Bethany Yellowtail

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Bethany Yellowtail
Bethany-yellowtail-native-american-fashion-designer-northern-cheyenne.png
Born1989 (age 34–35)
Montana, United States
Nationality Northern Cheyenne Tribe, American
Other namesAmmaakealachehiibaachilakacheesh, "Overcomes through Faith"- Crow Name [1] Ese'hemeona'e "Sun Road Woman" - Cheyenne Name
OccupationFashion designer
Years active2009-present
Website byellowtail.com

Bethany Yellowtail (born 1989) [2] is a Native American fashion designer based in Los Angeles, California. [3] Known for her work that reflects her Indigenous heritage, she is an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and a descendant of the Crow Tribe of Montana. [4] She serves as designer and CEO for her line B.Yellowtail. [5]

Contents

Early life and education

Yellowtail was born in the small rural town of Wyola, located in the southeast corner of Montana near the Wyoming border. [1] She is an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and grew up with her four siblings and parents on the Crow Reservation. [3] [6]

Yellowtail's parents and family members had been involved in creating Indigenous artistry all throughout her life. She originally peaked her interest in Indigenous jewelry, beaded earrings being one of the first pieces she would sell to others. Aunts and grandmothers taught her to sew, where her passion for fashion began. [7]

Yellowtail attended Tongue River schools in Ranchester, Wyoming, 23 miles from her family's ranch in Wyola, Montana. She graduated from Tongue River High School in 2007. [8] She attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. [1]

Career

Yellowtail's beginnings in her corporate fashion career were with multiple name brands, which often would appropriate Native American Designs. [9] Yellowtail began working in fashion with the BCBG Max Azria Group, then became a pattern maker for private labels. Her time with these brands pushed her to create her own company, B.Yellowtail, in 2015, to accurately represent Native American Culture. [9] [10]

In 2015, Bethany was selected as a First Peoples Fund Artist in Business Leadership Fellow. [11] As a Native designer, Yellowtail confronts cultural appropriation in the fashion industry. [12] PBS Indie Lens Storycast featured B.Yellowtail as part of a series of short films called alter-NATIVE by Billy Luther. [7] [13]

In 2022, Bethany was selected for Visas "She's Next in Fashion" and was recognized at the Green Carpet Fashion Awards. She was awarded alongside fellow honorees Aurora James, Rashad Robinson, and Tom Ford. [14]

Political

Yellowtail is an active supporter of women's rights. For the 2017 Women's March on the National Mall in Washington D.C., [7] Yellowtail collaborated with fellow Montana artist John Isaiah Pepion to create a custom-designed scarf featuring Native American women, each wearing a War Bonnet. In Crow Nation culture, women traditionally do not wear a full headdress, except for the special occasion of the Shoshone War Bonnet Dance, regarded as the highest honor for Crow women. Yellowtail chose the design to underscore female empowerment and respect. The scarf was worn by the many indigenous women as part of the Indigenous Women Rise, [15] a grassroots advocacy group first gathering at the Women's March.

Another way that she has contributed to Indigenous female empowerment is through her Rez Girl Mentorship Fund. She collaborated with the Native Wellness Institute to further develop this program, in hopes of providing opportunities for vulnerable Indigenous communities, who have been affected by the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) epidemic. This fund focuses on mentoring young indigenous girls to understand and believe in their ability to do anything. [16]

Yellowtail includes the works of several Native American artists and designers as part of The B.Yellowtail Collective, part of her efforts to support the entrepreneurship of fellow Native Americans. [17]

Personal

Bethany Yellowtail is a member of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, and hails from the Mighty Few District of the Crow Nation in Southeastern Montana. Yellowtail is now located in Los Angeles, where she relocated to launch her company. [7] Yellowtail has always had a passion for fashion since her youth. She took an interest in sewing and beadwork, which her aunt and grandmother taught her on the reservation. She started making powwow shawls for her family and further developed her skills by making clothes in her home economics class in high school. She feels grateful to have this creative outlet as a Native Youth but recalls the judgment she faced from others when she expressed wanting to turn this hobby into a career.

Along with Bethany Yellowtail’s two fashion labels, the designer has also touched into the gallery world, such as having an artist spotlight at the Portland Art Museum. [18] The spotlight from June 2016 discusses Yellowtail’s heritage and what drives her inspiration in the fashion industry. The Field Museum in Chicago also hosted Yellowtail in an exhibit called “Apsáalooke Women and Warriors” where her designs are featured. [19] The exhibit features a range of works such as historical and contemporary pieces from different generations and tribes.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crow people</span> Indigenous ethnic group in North America

The Crow, whose autonym is Apsáalooke, also spelled Absaroka, are Native Americans living primarily in southern Montana. Today, the Crow people have a federally recognized tribe, the Crow Tribe of Montana, with an Indian reservation, the Crow Indian Reservation, located in the south-central part of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyola, Montana</span> Census-designated place in Montana, United States

Wyola is a census-designated place (CDP) in Big Horn County, Montana, United States. The population was 215 at the 2010 census. 79% of the residents are Native American, and the majority are members of the Crow Tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donna Karan</span> American fashion designer

Donna Karan, also known as DK, is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quillwork</span> Works decorated with overlays of porcupine quills or feathers

Quillwork is a form of textile embellishment traditionally practiced by Indigenous peoples of North America that employs the quills of porcupines as an aesthetic element. Quills from bird feathers were also occasionally used in quillwork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crow Indian Reservation</span> Indian reservation in United States, Crow

The Crow Indian Reservation is the homeland of the Crow Tribe. Established 1868, the reservation is located in parts of Big Horn, Yellowstone, and Treasure counties in southern Montana in the United States. The Crow Tribe has an enrolled membership of approximately 11,000, of whom 7,900 reside in the reservation. 20% speak Crow as their first language.

William Petzoldt Yellowtail Jr. is an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the Montana Senate and as a regional administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susie Walking Bear Yellowtail</span> American nurse (1903–1981)

Susie Walking Bear Yellowtail (1903–1981) (Crow-Sioux) was the first Crow and one of the first Native Americans to graduate as a registered nurse in the United States. Working for the Indian Health Service, she brought modern health care to her people and traveled throughout the U.S. to assess care given to indigenous people for the Public Health Service. Yellowtail served on many national health organizations and received many honors for her work, including the President's Award for Outstanding Nursing Health Care in 1962 and being honored in 1978 as the "Grandmother of American Indian Nurses" by the American Indian Nurses Association. She was inducted into the Montana Hall of Fame in 1987 and in 2002 became the first Native American inductee of the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Native American fashion</span>

Native American fashion is the design and creation of high-fashion clothing and fashion accessories by Native Americans in the United States. This is a part of a larger movement of Indigenous fashion of the Americas.

Marjorie Bear Don't Walk is an Ojibwa-Salish health care professional and Native American fashion designer. She is most known as an advocate for reforms in the Indian Health Service, and specifically the care of urban Native Americans. In addition, she is a fashion designer who has targeted career women, designing professional attire which incorporated traditional techniques into her clothing.

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Aurora James is a Canadian creative director, activist, and fashion designer. In 2013, she founded the fashion label Brother Vellies, with the goal of promoting traditional African design practices and techniques. In 2020, James founded the 15 Percent Pledge as a non-profit organization to support Black-owned businesses. Her memoir Wildflower was released in 2023.

Henrietta Mann is a Native American academic and activist. She was one of the designers of the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Montana and Haskell Indian Nations University's Native American studies programs. In 2000 she became the first American Indian to hold the endowed chair of Native American studies at Montana State University and was honored with the Montana Governor's Humanities Award. She retired in 2004 and became a special advisor to the president of Montana State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitchelene BigMan</span> U.S. Army veteran and advocate

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Designer Profile | Bethany Yellowtail". www.beyondbuckskin.com. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  2. ↑ "Meet Bethany Yellowtail, a Native American fashion designer who's inspiring a whole generation of women". Los Angeles Times . 9 June 2017.
  3. 1 2 Safronova, Valeriya (2016-12-02). "Fashion Steps Up at Standing Rock". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  4. ↑ Palmer, Alex. "These Designs Showcase the Provocative World of Native Fashion". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  5. ↑ Tarr, Tanya (December 15, 2016). "How This Native American CEO Is Helping Her Community Own Its Worth". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  6. ↑ Olp, Susan. "Northern Cheyenne woman making waves in the fashion world". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Luther, Billy (2018-02-27). "alter-NATIVE Ep. 1 "Bethany Yellowtail: Sun Road Woman and Fashion Designer"". www.pbs.org. Indie Lens Storycast. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  8. ↑ Olp, Susan (2016-03-06). "NATIVE-INSPIRED DESIGNS Northern Cheyenne woman making waves in the fashion world". Billings Gazette. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  9. 1 2 "CFDA". cfda.com. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  10. ↑ "B.Yellowtail". byellowtail.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  11. ↑ "Artist in Business Leadership Fellows Bethany Yellowtail". First Peoples Fund. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  12. ↑ "FIRST PEOPLES FUND ARTIST LEAVES CORPORATE JOB BEHIND TO START HER OWN NATIVE FASHION LINE". First Peoples Fund Blog. 24 May 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  13. ↑ Marinelli, Gina (2018-03-29). "It's 2018—Why Is Fashion Still Appropriating Indigenous Culture?". Who What Wear. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  14. ↑ Yellowtail, Bethany. "About Us". b.yellowtail. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Home". indigenouswomenrise.org. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
  16. ↑ "THE REZ GIRLS MENTORSHIP FUND". B.YELLOWTAIL. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  17. ↑ "The Collective". byellowtail.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  18. ↑ laura (2016-06-16). "Native Fashion Now Artist Spotlight: Bethany Yellowtail". Portland Art Museum. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  19. ↑ "Field Museum, UChicago exhibition upends traditional Native American representations | University of Chicago News". news.uchicago.edu. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
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