The third volume of the Haskell Indian Nations University Fashion show will feature creations from seven Native designers with a theme of “generational beauty.”
The show will go from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 18 at the Coffin Sports Complex on Haskell’s campus, 155 Indian Ave.
The full Lawrence community is welcome and can buy tickets online or at the door using cash. Online tickets cost $10 for general admission and $20 for front row seating, and entry is free for Haskell students. Get tickets at this link.
Alongside the show, Coffin will host vendors selling fashion accessories and food.
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Garett Elliott, citizen of the Wyandotte Nation, is a senior at Haskell majoring in Indigenous and American Indian Studies. He’s also the community outreach coordinator for Haskell Runway, the group that puts on the fashion show each year.
“The reason that we wanted to do (the theme) is because we wanted to essentially show that beauty exists within all walks of life, even if they’re young children, all the way up into your golden years,” he said. “You know, everybody is beautiful. Age does not matter.”
The show will feature work from seven Native designers, including a current Haskell student, three Haskell graduates and an employee at Billy Mills Middle School. See below for the full list of participating designers.
Esmarie Cariaga, Isanti Dakota, organized the first fashion show in 2024 as part of the internship requirement for the Indigenous and American Indian Studies program.
That was Elliot’s first time modeling in a show, but not his last. He’s traveled to states including New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Colorado to walk the runway.
“It’s allowed me to go around and travel and make new friends, and now I have this big, Indigenous fashion family that I’m a part of,” he said.
These designers will present work at the upcoming show:
• Current Haskell student Alyssa Wilson, Hoopa Valley Tribe (Hupa)
• Haskell graduate Ryia LeBeau, Lakota of the Cheyenne River
• Third generation Haskell graduate Claudia Tyner Little Axe, Seneca Cayuga/Absentee Shawnee and Muscogee
• Haskell graduate and local designer Elena Theresa, Apache Tribe of Oklahoma and Comanche
• Billy Mills Assistant Librarian Virginia Snake-Bumann, enrolled Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and descendant from Sicangu Lakota
• Johnson County Community College student Jada BigEagle, Hunkpapa Lakota
• Artist and designer James Star Comes Out, Oglala Lakota
Check out Haskell Runway’s Instagram and website, haskellrunway.com, for more information.
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.
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Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
