In a remarkable year for Hunkpapa Lakota fashion designer Kayla Lookinghorse-Smith, she is all set to present her brand, K.Lookinghorse, at Phoenix Fashion Week’s ‘Emerging Designer of the Year’ program. This highly anticipated fashion event will grace the Chateau Luxe in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 20-21, drawing fashion enthusiasts and designers from across the nation.
Participating in the Phoenix Fashion Week’s emerging designer boot camp has been a transformative experience for Lookinghorse-Smith, the owner of K.Lookinghorse. She hails from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and currently resides in Southampton, New York, on traditional Shinecock Indian Territory. Her brand seamlessly blends contemporary aesthetics with a deep respect for her Lakota and Dakota heritage and extended family, or ‘tiospaye’ in Lakota.
Lookinghorse-Smith is dedicated to crafting captivating, wearable art and statement jewelry pieces, including collaborations like Generation One by LXL, a Native American and African American women-owned clothing partnership.
For her showcase at Phoenix Fashion Week’s fashion show on Saturday evening, Lookinghorse-Smith has introduced an entirely new ‘ready-to-wear’ collection, marking a fresh creative direction.
Earlier this year, she learned about Phoenix Fashion Week’s ‘Designer of the Year’ program when the organization reached out, encouraging her to apply for their competitive fashion designer boot camp. This interaction led to her selection as one of the ten fashion designers chosen for the ‘Emerging Designer of the Year’ program. The boot camp offers a comprehensive curriculum, covering various aspects of the fashion business, including brand development, media interaction, and more.
Competing alongside nine other brands for the titles of ‘Emerging Designer of the Year’ and ‘Accessory Designer of the Year for 2024’ are Aloha Glamour from Gulfport, Mississippi; Frequency Collection of Phoenix, Arizona; Gemifly of Phoenix, Arizona; Luebbert Swim from Portland, Oregon; Olivia Noire from Gilbert, Arizona; RAINE from Phoenix, Arizona; Sloane Design from Scottsdale, Arizona; The Lost Cove Co. from Los Angeles, California; and Throne of Grace Clothing, based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Phoenix Fashion Week is widely regarded as the premier fashion event in the Southwest, and it has showcased Indigenous talent and craftsmanship that has left audiences in awe in recent years.
The previous recipient of the ‘Designer of the Year’ title at Phoenix Fashion Week was Norma Baker-Flyinghorse, a Dakota and Hidatsa fashion designer from the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. Her fashion brand, Red Berry Woman, was awarded a $10,000 cash prize and a commercial partnership.
Beyond her participation in Phoenix Fashion Week, Lookinghorse-Smith is preparing for an international debut at the Vancouver Fashion Week in November 2023, where she will unveil a full 10-piece couture collection. Each fashion show requires distinct preparations, and for the Phoenix Fashion Week competition, the decision to feature ready-to-wear items was influenced by time constraints and prior commitments.
Lookinghorse-Smith shared, ‘Phoenix Fashion Week was the spark I needed to venture into a new creative collection. It inspired me to create something fresh.’ K.Lookinghorse will introduce ‘The Timeless Collection’ at Phoenix Fashion Week.
The Phoenix Fashion Week organization described ‘The Timeless Collection’ as ‘authentic Indigenous-designed garments with an aesthetic specific to her family.’ Patterned dresses and statement jackets are the cornerstones of her fast-growing brand, where storytelling meets comfort and glamour to empower women naturally.
In addition to the Phoenix event, Lookinghorse-Smith has an exciting schedule, including an international showing at Vancouver Fashion Week in November, a Red Carpet appearance for Jhane Myers’ Emmy nomination in January 2024, and participation in the Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival in Canada in April 2024.