THE NATURE OF A DESIGNER

Bio of Patricia Michaels....PM Waterlily Designs pmwaterlilyfashion.com

Innovative. Eco-Friendly. Avant-garde. Distinctive. Fashion-Forward. Organic. Unique. Leader. Showstopper. These are just a few words that come to mind when you hear the name Patricia Michaels.

For over 20 years, Patricia Michaels, has been producing one-of-a-kind couture that defies fashion trends. Growing up in Santa Fe, NM, she was surrounded by beauty—in culture, landscape and art; all greatly influencing her design aesthetic. Her Native American culture is deeply rooted in New Mexico growing up on the Taos Pueblo where many of her family, including her grandparents, lived. In this majestic untouched terrain, Patricia received a unique education--the environment became her teacher, and with the help of her elders, she learned to respect and honor the process of working with her hands and heart.

Today, Patricia continues to draw inspiration from nature and her Native roots. She named her company, PM Waterlily, after her Native name, vowing to keep her traditions alive through the interconnectedness of her fashions. In this respect, Patricia has become a forerunner in the fashion industry for practicing cultural sustainability.

PM Waterlily designs are custom made at Patricia’s Taos, NM studio and include high-end limited edition apparel and casual lines for both men and women. She chooses to work with organic materials whenever possible, and hand-dyes and paints her fabrics, often using algae pigments. Each design showcases nature’s influence combined with fluid textures, creating clothing with movement and individuality.

“My clothes tell a story”, says Michaels, “…where the wearer gets to incorporate their own history and energy into the garment.”

AWARDS and HONORS

Patricia is currently featured in NATIVE FASHION NOW at the Portland Art Museum through September 4, 2016.

Peabody Essex Museum show, "Native Fashion Now" 2015.

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Arts and Design Award from the museum board of directors in New York City in November 2014. She is the very first recipient of this award, an historic achievement.

Emmy Award winning season 11 of “Project Runway” in 2012 , 1st runner up title. Her Project Runway debut was a historical first for a Native American designer.

Project Runway All Stars, Season 4, 2014. 

Lecture and power point presentation at the, Dominican University, Chicago IL 2015 Annual Conference of the International Textile and Apparel Association 2015Native American Student Services at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, CO 2014

2013 Taos Citizen of the Year Award and the Eugene Crawford Memorial Peace Pipe Award by LaDonna Harris of Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO).

Letter of Recognition of Achievements by the NM State Senator's Office and Senator Tom Udall.

BEST of the WEST 2013 by Cowboys & Indians Magazine.First Native American Designer to have a collection at the Lincoln Center during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in NYC. Her Fall/Winter 2013 "TREES" Collection wowed the audiences.

FASHION HIGHLIGHTS

STAR TREK BEYOND costume designer and award nominee SANJA HAYS, personally selected Patricia to dress her for the Metropolitan Fashion Awards at Warner Bros. Studios, Oct 1, 2016.

Patricia recently drew accolades at New York Fashion Week in September and will be in LA Fashion Week.October 15, 2016.

Patricia is currently featured in NATIVE FASHION NOW at the Portland Art Museum through September 4, 2016. The traveling exhibition debuted at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.http HYPERLINK "http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2015/11/23/native-fashion-exhibit

The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian is pleased to announce Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo) of Project Runway fame will be premiering 20 new looks from her PM Waterlily collection at an exclusive fashion show at Chicago’s Mayne Stage, October 2015.

Couture Capsule Collection, September, 2013 during New York Fashion Week as part of “Runway the Real Way” at Yotel Hotel. 

Her Ready-to-Wear Spring/Summer 2014 "SEEDS" Collection included plus sizes 12-26 and debuted October, 2013 in Santa Fe, NM. 

A featured designer in the “Art to Wear” exhibit at the Wheelwright Museum from 2004-2010.

As a featured artist in Santa Fe’s SWAIA annual Indian Market, Patricia has received awards for Best of Classification in Textiles 2011 (a first for a modern garment or textile); First Place in Garments 2011; and First Place in Contemporary Fashion & Accessories 2011. In 2010 and 2011,

2012. Her designs were shown at Bryant Park in New York during Fashion Week, as part of the production by UNRESERVED: American Indian Fashion and Art Alliance, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson, star of TV'S hit show Modern Family and New Mexico native, invited Patricia to become a guest designer for his line of bowties- JTF Bowties. The proceeds for Patricia’s ties went to The Freedom to Marry Act. Patricia has continued to work with Ferguson to form “Tie The Knot”, with proceeds to aid the ACLU of NM & Why Marriage Matters, New Mexico. Her bowtie’s are one of the top ten best sellers.

MEDIA

Indian Country Today, " Patricia Michaels' Line in NYC Sept 10 for Style Fashion Week".Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/09/02/patricia-michaels-line-nyc-sept-10-style-fashion-week-165665

Featured in a full page ad for Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Barbara County, CA.https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-vYjJ1AHGAjU0Rabml3cHdXSC1LZDlkdVI0bnhOQlhzRDhV/view?usp=drive_web

Lecture and power point presentation at the, Dominican University, Chicago IL 2015 Annual Conference of the International Textile and Apparel Association 2015Native American Student Services at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, CO 2014

Wall Street Journal; "Art Review", interview with Andrea HYPERLINK "http://www.wbur.org/about/people/andrea-shea"Shea of WBUR (for NPR's Here & Now), interview with Karen Holmes Ward at WCVB Cityline TV studios

Indian Country Today; “Ah-Ha! Moments” ; Patricia was on the Top 10 List of 2013 from Indian Country Today & indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com.

New Mexico Magazine; NATIVE PEOPLES Magazine, PEOPLE Magazine.online.

Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian Magazine, front cover.

Native News Online, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian hosts Fashion Show http://bit.ly/2dJ8sB6

Powwows.com http://www.powwows.com/2015/08/05/see-native-haute-couture-at-patricia-michaels-fashion-show/

Native News Today http://www.nativenewstoday.com/2015/08/06/see-native-haute-couture-at-patricia-michaels-fashion-show/

VIDEOSProject Runway Season 11 Team Eight Fashion Show, NY Mercedes-Benz Fashion WeekBy Maria Esteves - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2013 Project Runway Season Eleven 16 designers…youtube.com

PM Waterlily at Palm Desert, CA Fashion Week, Spring 2015.Gabriel Mozart Steven HYPERLINK "https://www.facebook.com/gabeMSA"Abeyta https://vimeo.com/128083497

Project Runway Alumni Show at El Paseo Fashion Week, 2015 http://runwaypassport.com/news/el-paseo-fashion-week-runway-photos-silk-dresses-patricia-michaels/

PM Waterlily Fashion Show SWAIA Indian Market by Gabriel Steven Mozart Abeytahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez40HIgwjZw*alternate link http://vimeo.com/28223966

Patricia Michaels Daniel Howard Seymour Ayla Parker Mona Bear. Claymo Productions, 2015 https://vimeo.com/106851854

A THOUSAND VOICES youtube.comhttp://youtu.be/Lou_GTK1wto # HYPERLINK "https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/1000voices? source=feed_text&story_id=774907339265405"1000Voices # HYPERLINK

"https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/silverbulletproductions?source=feed_text&story_id=774907339265405"SilverBulletProductions # HYPERLINK "https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/pbs?source=feed_text&story_id=774907339265405"PBSPatricia Michaels # HYPERLINK "https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/pmwaterlily? source=feed_text&story_id=774907339265405"PMWaterlily # HYPERLINK "https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/projectrunway?source=feed_text&story_id=774907339265405"ProjectRunway # HYPERLINK "https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/prallstars?source=feed_text&story_id=774907339265405"PRAllStars

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