A Navajo entrepreneur’s vision for sustainable fashion and community empowerment

Moriah Mccarthy’s journey to debut her online business, Masani’s Beauty, has been a challenging road but she has always known she isn’t just working for her and her family but her community. When she started sewing and designing clothes full time, her future plans went beyond her own success and a bigger picture started to form.

“I’d say my end goal that I would love to see, would be maybe a 10 year plan, is to bring manufacturing to the Navajo Nation so I can hire other sewers because sewing is such a big art on the rez,” she said. “I’d love to just see us taking our spot in not just fashion, but the whole manufacturing industry too, where we can have control over our own styles, our own fabrics and things that we wear because what we wear is important, and it represents us in our beliefs.”

When Mccarthy started Masani’s Beauty in 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, she focused solely on mask making and donated a lot of her product to those in need across the Navajo Nation. But as restrictions were lifted and the demand for masks dwindled, Mccarthy turned her focus to clothing.

photo credit: Cassidy Cheyenne

“I wanted to sew clothes that I liked and styles that I really hadn’t seen before,” she said, adding her goal was to give it a twist with Native American representation.

She designed and sewed clothes for about two years before she had her baby in 2022 and then life unexpectedly changed.

“I just stopped,” she said about her business. “Because I had a couple deaths in my family, my Masani actually was one of them.”

Mccarthy was also taking care of her baby who entered the neonatal intensive care unit and was on oxygen support. With little time and no motivation, her business activity halted as she took care of her family and healed.

Then in December of last year, she was let go from her part time job. With her baby getting older and healthier, she felt she had time to start Masani’s Beauty again. Mccarthy applied for a grant to start her business online and when she received it, she knew she was on the right path.

“I felt like that was just my sign to give it a go. So I legitimized the business. I made an LLC in November last year,” she said. “Since then, I’ve just been slowly testing out things and kind of getting my name out there through in person selling pop ups.”

Mccarthy has been getting a lot of positive feedback from her in-person events, and her customers are excited about her designs and her work. While she enjoys in person events, she’s happy about transitioning her business online.

In the future she hopes to have a popular website and a well known brand. She hopes people appreciate that her clothes are made from scratch with a modern flair and made from traditional material like velvet or Native American print fabrics and ribbon.

“I hope people are interested in a smaller batch of clothing,” she said. “I have a passion for combating the greater fashion market and fast fashion that you see a lot today. It’s a system right now that can’t be sustained at all.”

Mccarthy believes her fashion can last because it’s not only made with passion but it’s carefully crafted by hand. In a month, she can make 30 to 40 items depending on her sewing schedule.

“It’s made by me and it’s supposed to last longer, because it’s not something that’s hastily made. I’m hoping people find the value in that and come and see the website and know that they’re buying from an Indigenous mom, but also someone who is trying to make clothing in a sustainable way, and their one purchase from me will hopefully last them a lot longer,” she said.

Mccarthy looks beyond price when she’s selling her product. While she has to account for her time, cost of fabric and travel, she wants to make sure her customers feel a real connection.

“Honestly, I think building a connection with your customers, other than the price, has been the biggest takeaway that I’ve had from making my website,” she said. “I want to make it accessible to our communities.”

Masani’s Beauty is now online at masanisbeauty.com and on Instagram at masanisbeautyclothing