From the Desk of Vicki

In preparation for the trend segment on New Nay NW, I threw out some top trends to Roberta Romero that we could discuss in our interview.  One that we didn’t have time to cover I’m sharing here.  It is the slow but steady ascent of indigenous peoples who are creating their own path in the food, in apparel, in the arts, in leadership of pretty much every industry. 

In many of these articles, you can see the beginnings of several trends which are coming into their own, accelerated by the pandemic.

LOCALISM 

According to WGSN in Rise of the Localvists, “With the pandemic leading people to develop a deeper sense of connection to their local community, neighborhood hubs are playing a key role by offering a safe space for people to connect and help each other during these uncertain times.”

TRANSPARENCY, AUTHENTICITY  

The need for consumers to understand where information comes from, how products are made, cannot be underestimated. There is a growing lack of trust in our society on many levels and the reaction to that is a desire to get to the original source of products. Many consumers want to buy goods directly from the creator of the product or the person who harvested the product, etc.  TRUST is a deep driver of purchasing decisions with the consumer of today. 

Art & Design

“For the first time in its 150-year history, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has hired a full-time Native American curator: Patricia Marroquin Norby.

Dr. Norby — who is of Purépecha heritage, an Indigenous population that primarily lives in Michoacán, Mexico — will assume the role of associate curator of Native American art on Monday. She most recently served as senior executive and assistant director of the National Museum of the American Indian in New York.” - The New York Times

Local Heros

“Orenda Tribe, a label of upcycled vintage pieces, is the brainchild of Amy Yeung, who is Indigenous (Dine). Yeung launched the brand in 2015 just before relocating from Los Angeles to near Navajo Nation territory in New Mexico.  Having worked with fast-fashion brands, she wanted to set a better example for her daughter, Lily, who now models pieces for the site. ‘I wanted to each her respect for Mother Earth,’ Yeung says, ‘So I had to shift to something more sustainable and authentic to who I was.’ “ - Orenda Tribe, Albuquerque, New Mexico - Inc. Magazine

“Eighth Generation is a Seattle-based art and lifestyle brand owned by the Snoqualmie Tribe.  It was founded in 2008 when Louie Gong (Nooksack) — an artist, activist and educator widely known for merging traditional Coast Salish art with influences from his urban environment to make strong statements about identity — started customizing shoes in his living room. Now the first Native-owned company to ever produce wool blankets — with a flagship retail store in Seattle's iconic Pike Place Market — Eighth Generation is a proud participant in the global economy.

Eighth Generation provides a strong, ethical alternative to “Native-inspired” art and products through its artist-centric approach and 100% Native designed products. Our Inspired Natives Project, anchored by the tagline “Inspired Natives, not Native-inspired,” builds business capacity among cultural artists while addressing the economic impact of cultural appropriation.” - 8th Generation

FOOD

The Minneapolis chef Sean Sherman, also known as The Sioux Chef, finds culinary inspiration in the indigenous foods of the Upper Midwest. As a proponent of what he and other native cooks call new Native American cuisine, Mr. Sherman buys many of his ingredients from the region’s native producers. 

A specific list of ingredients found in the Upper Midwest along with information as to how Mr. Sherman works with each one and some recipes to use the ingredient as he does. In his cookbook, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, he dives into real food and what is considered clean eating but based on the idea of locally sourced and “nose-to-tail” cooking.

From the Desk of Sonia

The Norwegian concept called FRILUFTSLIV is one we can all embrace as we move into Fall.  It translates to “open air life” and it dovetails with another trend very much on our radar for the past couple of years, FOREST BATHING.  The bottom line is, we are all understanding the health benefits, both mentally and physically, of being outside and embracing the stress-reducing act of walking in nature. 

Get Outside

Norway has a concept called friluftsliv, which translates roughly to “open air life.” According to Per Kare Jakobsen, a researcher at the University of Tromso who studies frilufstliv and open-air tourism, “the way Norwegians are brought up with the strong cultural tradition of frilufstliv is key to understanding our (generally quite positive) mind-set.” This means dressing for the weather — from woolen socks and leggings to safety-focused reflective strips on your jacket — and getting outside.” Embracing Winter. Follow #friluftsliv for more information.

In exploring this concept, I found @alexwaltner, whose Instagram beautifully embraces this in a visual form.  After looking through his feed, you will almost feel like you’ve gotten outside to live a friluftsliv life, even though it’s just been a few moments of scrolling during a work break!

“There's another factor that might help explain the decline in blood pressure: Trees release compounds into the forest air that some researchers think could be beneficial for people. Some of the compounds are very distinctive, such as the scent of cedar. Back in 2009, Japanese scientists published a small study that found inhaling these tree-derived compounds — known as phytoncides — reduced concentrations of stress hormones in men and women and enhanced the activity of white-blood cells known as natural killer cells .”