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

“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.”

Paving the way: Diné entrepreneur makes history at the Grand Canyon
Paving the way: Diné entrepreneur makes history at the Grand Canyon

“You know it doesn't feel real and at the same time, it's been very exciting. I never would have seen myself or my mugs go as far as the Grand Canyon.”

Black Streak Apparel makes Netflix debut on Rez Ball
Black Streak Apparel makes Netflix debut on Rez Ball

“You hear it all the time but you don’t really know or expect it, you never know who's watching or who’s going to see your stuff,” he said. “When I started my business it was so important for me to have it on the reservation and now that I think back to it, I’m so glad I did. I think it would have been totally different if they (the producers) came to see my shop and I was in Farmington or somewhere off the rez.”

Dineh & Company empowers Indigenous artists at the heart of Santa Fe
Dineh & Company empowers Indigenous artists at the heart of Santa Fe

“We’re just another rung on that ladder, reaching the top for self actualizations of our artists to have their own store, their own promotions and their own culture here, benefiting them and having their voices shared and their benefits received for what they do.”

She fueled growth amidst crisis on the Navajo Nation
She fueled growth amidst crisis on the Navajo Nation

“I just like to always say we’re capable of doing things, we’re capable of making good business decisions. I’m really grateful for where I’m at.”

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12 Native Businesses to Watch in 2019

“I didn’t know how to establish a business. I knew what I wanted to do, but not how to structure it,” said 2019 graduate Samuel Shingoitewa of Sunbear Fitness and Repair Services. “Without this type of push, I don’t think I’d be where I am,” he confided during the graduation ceremony.

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