CONTACT
Patricia Michaels C/O Waterlily
POBox 2786
Taos, NM 87571
575-751-9675
Widely traveled, well educated and instinctively creative, Patricia Michaels of Taos Pueblo, Native American and Polish descent, creates edgy sophisticated fashion drawn from her own heritage and from a love for nature. This year she made history by becoming the first Native designer to show her collection at New York Fashion Week. "Taos Pueblo has always been a Mecca for trade and commerce, so in keeping with ancestral tradition, I am not intimidated to travel for production purposes." Currently production takes place in Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico but predominately in New York City.
The brand PM Waterlily consists of five lines ranging from her new eco-friendly spa wear to her renowned couture and the ready- to-wear lines for men and women. Another area she is exploring is fabric for interiors. "Every garment that I make, the fabric and the cut, takes you to a special place. Native people can give back to the rest of the world by sharing their stories. Some do it through pottery, painting, or jewelry. Naturally in our oral history there are creation stories; I take the creative liberty to express my vision that is then worn as a garment. One can feel these stories on their skin."
The originality of all Patricia Michaels clothing is achieved through printing, painting and manipulating fabric, by hand, in unique and experimental ways. This dedicated working method produces new and exciting textiles with which she creates garments that complement, caress and celebrate the female form at any age.
Internationally acclaimed, Patricia Michaels has literally been immersed in art and fashion since birth. The day she was born, her mother danced in buckskin dress at her Santa Fe gallery's opening. After performing in the heavy beaded garment, Patricia's mother promptly went into labor. As a child, she grew up surrounded by Navajo rugs, art, and artifacts. Her Polish grandmother was a professional seamstress; Aunt Pat was a co-owner of a company in the San Francisco fur industry.
Educated at the Institute of American Indian Arts and the Chicago Art Institute, she shared in numerous cultural exchanges from Santa Fe's Indian Market to Canada, South Africa, and New Zealand. Patricia says: "I don't own traditional culture; I take joy in participating. Taking part in cultural exchanges has nurtured ideas, helping me to create the form, the shapes, cuts, textures and imagery of my designs."
Her experience has helped her envision a world in which diverse art forms have become more free and exuberant. The inherently innovative and culturally embracing nature of fashion parallels that of generations of Native peoples. It is, in part, this ability to adapt and move ever forward that enables indigenous cultures to survive. Patricia knows that to remain part of tradition, young people need to experience the thriving and evolving sophistication of their communities. Her subtle subtexts speak to the modern world of a strong Native American pride.
