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Three mannequins wearing black and red dresses.

Fashion

From Lloyd Kiva New and Margaret Wood to Jamie Okuma and Virgil Ortiz, the works of contemporary fashion icons are found in this collection.

The Fashion Collection

Groundbreaking creations by Cherokee fashion designer Lloyd Kiva New form the foundation of the Heard Museum’s fashion collection. New forged an indelible career in Scottsdale in the 1950s through silk-screening unique designs on cotton and silk fabrics, which he sold individually or made into dresses, shirts and coats. He created a unique line of handbags, some of which have clasps designed by the innovative Hopi jeweler Charles Loloma. Many handbags were custom made and included a label with the buyer’s name. Other items in leather designed by New included hats and neckties.

Margaret Wood (Diné/Seminole) began her career as a fashion designer in the 1970s. A range of her early creations are depicted in the book she wrote titled Native American Fashion: Modern Adaptations of Traditional Designs. Wood donated her collection to the Heard Museum, further growing the museum’s small but important collection. Recent additions include original works by Betty David (Spokane), Orlando Dugi (Diné), Jamie Okuma (Luiseño/Shoshone-Bannock) and Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pueblo), among others.

Explore the Collection

Fashion Collection Highlights

  • A mannequin wearing a black coat, jacket and handbag.
    Jamie Okuma, Luiseño/Shoshone-Bannock, b. 1977, Skirt and jacket, 2013. Gift of the Heard Museum Council, 4755-1
  • A red and black tuxedo jacket on a mannequin.
    Lloyd Kiva New, Cherokee, 1916-2002, Tuxedo jacket, 1960-1970
  • A tan jacket with a black design on it.
    Betty David, Spokane, 1938-2008, Jacket, 1999
  • A red leather bag with a metal clasp.
    Lloyd Kiva New, Cherokee, 1916-2002, Handbag, c. 1955, Gift of Miriam J. McClennen, 4365-1
  • A skirt with black and white designs on it.
    Virgil Ortiz, Cochiti Pueblo, b. 1969, Skirt design for Donna Karan, 2003
  • The back of a woman wearing a cloak with colorful designs, people and horses on it.
    Toni Williams, Arapaho, b. 1953, Creator’s Calling, 2015
  • A blue dress with stars on it and a purse.
    Kenneth Williams Jr., Arapaho/Seneca, b. 1983, She Holds the Stars, 2016
  • A blue and gold purse with tassels.
    Orlando Dugi and Benjamin Harjo, Diné, b. 1978 and Seminole/Absentee Shawnee, 1945-2023, She Holds the Stars, 2016 Gift of the William S. and Ellen Taubman Foundation, 4877-2
  • A black and red dress on a mannequin.
    Margaret Wood, Diné/Seminole, b. 1950, Navajo Blanket Dress Adaptation, c. 1981 Gift of Tom Galbraith and Margaret Wood

About the Heard Museum Art Collections

The Heard Museum art collection concentrates on the lives of Native peoples and consists of more than 45,000 objects. The two focal areas of the collection are comprehensive cultural collections from the Greater Southwest and contemporary native fine art from North America. Key collections include Hopi katsina dolls; Navajo and Zuni jewelry, Navajo textiles, Southwestern ceramics from prehistory to the present and baskets from the Southwest, California, the Great Basin and the Northwest. The approximately 4,000 fine art works in the Heard Museum collection document the American Indian Fine Art Movement from the 20th century to the present, and include work by some of the finest historic and contemporary American Indian artists.

A red and black dress on a mannequin.

See Fashion on View at the Heard

Explore 12 galleries of American Indian art and exhibitions and see what’s on view from our collection.