HER OWN VISION
PATRICIA MICHAELS By Emmaly Wiederholt
I
n the past few years, you may have heard this name buzzing on people’s lips more and more: Patricia Michaels. Since being named runner-up on Season 11 of Project Runway in 2012, this Taos Pueblo Native has been garnering attention for her bold modern designs. Her label, PM Waterlily, has made the circuit on several runways. But while her showcase opportunities and recognition continue to grow, this New Mexican keeps her feet firmly planted where she came from. “I’m from Taos Pueblo but my mom raised me here in Santa Fe. When I was in second grade at Cristo Rey on Canyon Rd., I used to get made fun of a lot. It wasn’t cool to be a Native kid in Santa Fe. I was a bit of a misfit. And while I was being made fun of, I would imagine myself out of my Catholic school uniform and instead going down a slide with silk trailing behind me. It was so glamorous in my head,” Michaels recalls. “I’ve been going to the Santa Fe Opera since I was five. Seeing all the beautiful opera garments added to the equation,” she continues. “And then I come from a family of dancers. Outside of our
ceremonial dances, we’d travel and perform at pow wows, fundraisers, whatever it be. When I saw the first fancy shawl dances, I learned the liberty of dress and movement.” “After school, I would walk to my mother’s office at the end of Canyon Rd. and wander through the galleries. As a kid, it was very empowering being around so much art,” Michaels explains. “It was a whole process of trying to define who a modern Native is, as a little kid, through my passion for clothing.” Although Michaels was immersed in art and design since childhood, her career took a big step forward when she landed a spot on the popular fashion design competition TV show. “The brilliant part about Project Runway is you are given money to buy fabrics you normally couldn’t afford. I believe material and fabrication really make the garment. When I work with my material, I never use it the way it is off of the bolt. I always manipulate the fabric so it becomes my signature. People got to see that on Project Runway. It was a free advertisement,” she describes.
Beyond her success as a designer, Michaels has made it a priority to give back. The list of organizations she works to benefit is long and growing, and includes Buckaroo Ball, Big Brothers Big Sisters Program, Future Scientist Program, Friends of Indian Arts, Silver Bullet Productions, Denver Indian Family Resource Center, New Mexico Tribal Libraries, IAIA, SWAIA, and ARTsmart. “All my philanthropy has an underlying theme; it’s focused on arts and economics. There wasn’t a lot of opportunity when I first started out as a designer,” notes Michaels. “I’m proud of where I come from,” she says. “I don’t want to ever lose my traditional ties and voice. I have so much I want to express, but it used to always be questioned with, ‘Is that Native enough?’ I am asked that time and time again. But this is my vision, not anyone else’s.” As Michaels’ vision flourishes, drawing on both her traditional heritage and the modern design world of which she is very much a part, only her imagination is the limit.
OPPOSITE Patricia Michaels, photo by Bill Curry INSET Patricia Michaels, photo by Jennifer Esperanza THIS PAGE Photos by Bill Curry and makeup by Isabel Harkins
For more information visit patriciamichaelsfashion.com.