We were lucky to catch up with Sage Mountainflower recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sage , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue my creative path as a fashion designer and owner of my brand, was when I volunteered at a native women business retreat in Albuquerque, NM. I was inspired by the women who were business owners and shared their stories of starting up and their challenges. One panelist was also a seamstress, creating traditional and contemporary clothing. At that moment, I knew I wanted to create at that level and develop my own business. During that time, I was facilitating a break session on building your brand. It provided me the time to take the opportunity to create my logo, a vision and my mission. So that’s where the process began and the idea that I was going to be the owner of the Sage Mountainflower brand.

Sage , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Sage Mountainflower, I am from Ohkay Owingeh, as well as an enrolled tribal member, along with tribal bloodlines from Taos Pueblo and Dine’. I learned to do beadwork by observation as young girl watching my mother and aunties bead as I was walking out the door to go play outside. They never knew I was also watching their beading techniques and their progress. I never sat with them to learn their styles, I just started making small bracelets, earrings and medallions. I also saw them hustle in selling their beadwork in the Pueblo and in Santa Fe, so I took my creations to our Pueblo Co-op in Ohkay Owingeh to be sold.
The sewing began, when I became a mother and my children wanted to participate in pow wows and the traditional dances in Ohkay Owingeh and other tribal ceremonies, where wearing the appropriate clothing was necessary. As a young mother it wasn’t always easy to purchase the clothing needed and therefore out of necessity I began to sew. As I was sewing a grass dance outfit for my son, by hand, during my breaks at work, a coworker took notice. She mentioned there was easier process by using a sewing machine. I never thought to use a sewing machine, but one day she brought me a one that she purchased second hand and gave it to me in the parking lot of a tribal casino. At first I was intimated by it, but eventually began to teach myself how to use it to complete my first powwow outfit for my son and then outfits for my daughter. I then began to make other traditional clothing and worked to enhance my skills with outfit I was making.
Over the last 20 years I began to made pow wow outfits, such as grass dance and jingle dress outfits, ribbon shirts, beaded moccasins, and other items which included designing, beadwork, and sewing. My artwork and designs evolved into beaded handbags, hatbands, and other accessories integrating traditional beading techniques into modern contemporary clothing designs.
Since 2018, my work has evolved into full collections of the Sage Mountainflower brand. My brand is a native couture style that blends traditional looks with a contemporary flair. I create a clothing to be worn outside the traditional boundaries and in our everyday lifestyle that honors the tribes I represent and tells a story through my clothing.
I am most proud of the clothes I create for my children. I once overheard them talking to their friends at pow wow who had complimented their outfits from head to toe and asked them who made the items they were wearing. As they pointed out to each item, my Kids replied, “my mom.” That was most proudest moment. I started this for my children to provide for them, to teach them and share with the our traditions to carry on our beliefs for their children. It amazing to see that premonition come to reality as I have witnessed my children teaching their children and nephews and nieces the stories and traditions I shared with them.
I want my clients to know, I do most of my work on my own. My work is slow fashion and my work is unique and often one of a kind products with materials that often gifted or hand picked to make my creations that include a story, a theme of the natural world.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspects of being a designer is traveling and sharing my work on the runway in many amazing places and taking part established fashion weeks through out the world in places such as Paris, France, Milan, Italy, New York City, NY, Houston, Texas and the South Western American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM and many more fashion shows done locally and throughout Indian Country.
Also establishing the Sage Mountainflower House of Fashion, my creative space in the Pueblo that I grew up in. It is exciting place to be home to sew and bead and have a space to sell my work to locally and online. Through a collaboration with other tribal members who are hip hop artists and musicians in creating the Feast Day Best Fashion Show. It provides an opportunity to share our work with our Pueblo community as they only hear about what we through word of mouth or social media. So we bring it home in this fashion show and provide opportunities for other tribal members who make traditional clothing to put their work on a runway to highlight and share it. I recruit models from the Pueblo and teach them how to answer a model call, develop comp cards, work with a designer and practice walking on a runway. This has built individual confidence of each model and other opportunities to model for other designers. We also provide an opportunity for other vendors to set up and sell their work. This is becoming a community event that everyone looks forward to attending, since it free to the community and gives them an opportunity to experience a fashion show.
I also teach how to make the traditional clothing to other tribal members who are interested in learning how to sew or bead. Sharing my knowledge and experiences is rewarding and want others to also create.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

One thing I have to mention is my creating is something I do as my side hustle. I have not made the leap to commit the Sage Mountainflower brand.
I have a full time job to working for another NM Pueblo in their Administration, managing projects, programs and staff. Many people like to think that Fashion is my Passion, but my work for a tribal community is important and I love the work that I do there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.sagemountainflower.com
• Instagram: @sagemountainflower
• Facebook: @SageMountainflower
• Linkedin: Sage Mountainflower
• Youtube: Sage Mountainflower

Image Credits

4th world stories