Crow artist boots hit Nordstrom shelves
NotAfraid, a beader based in eastern Montana, to design five pairs of shoes
Nora Mabie
Missoulian via ICT
The boots, called Reflections Genuine Shearling Water Resistant Bootie, are made with leather and shearling, and have a rubber sole. They retail for $165. The Nordstrom.com description of the boots states, the “detailing at the topline and sole by Apsaalooké artist Elias NotAfraid freshens the look of a cozy bootie.”
“It’s cool because we’re finally getting recognized for our work,” NotAfraid said of the description. “ It’s huge because growing up, I never would’ve seen Native artists or designers’ stuff in a store like Nordstrom.”
NotAfraid lives in Lodge Grass, Montana, and earlier this year, his beaded cradleboard was added to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection.
When representatives from Manitobah, a Native-owned shoe company, reached out to Elias Jade NotAfraid for a possible collaboration, the Crow artist was elated.
The company asked NotAfraid to design five pairs of shoes, ranging from a tall boot to a slipper. NotAfraid envisioned the outside and sole of the shoes in keeping with the theme of the collection, called “Reflections.”
He got to work and created 15 drafts. But, according to NotAfraid, the designs were too complicated. He scrapped them all.
NotAfraid, a beader based in eastern Montana, reverted to what he knows best.
“Using my medium of beadwork, I combined two design elements — the geometric patterns, which Crows mostly use, and floral designs,” he said. “The theme was ‘Reflections,’ and I viewed that as reflecting on the past and moving forward.”
NotAfraid then participated in at least 10 back-and-forth video calls with Manitobah representatives, where they went over designs, talked about colors and made other changes.
The process was so long that NotAfraid began to forget about it.
But on Oct. 26, Manitobah launched five boots designed by NotAfraid. And on Nov. 12, the company launched some select styles with Nordstrom. Native dancers and drum groups performed at select Nordstrom stores in the U.S. and Canada to celebrate the collaboration.
NotAfraid was shocked to see one of his shoes were included in the Nordstrom collaboration.
“It’s been crazy,” he said. “I’m still processing it.”
The boots, called Reflections Genuine Shearling Water Resistant Bootie, are made with leather and shearling, and have a rubber sole. They retail for $165. The Nordstrom.com description of the boots states, the “detailing at the topline and sole by Apsaalooké artist Elias NotAfraid freshens the look of a cozy bootie.”
“It’s cool because we’re finally getting recognized for our work,” NotAfraid said of the description. “ It’s huge because growing up, I never would’ve seen Native artists or designers’ stuff in a store like Nordstrom.”
NotAfraid lives in Lodge Grass, Montana, and earlier this year, his beaded cradleboard was added to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection.