Haudenosaunee Culture, Today’s Couture

Story by Manaswini Pillai

Photos by Ike Wood and Alicia Hoppes

Amid the backstage chaos of rustling clothes and last-minute touch-ups at Syracuse Fashion Week, designer Mary Homer breathed a satisfied sigh as she made the final adjustments to her models’ clothes. 

Later, Homer made the final loop around the runway decked in her own clothing and jewelry. As she stood beside her models, the blue and yellow lamps spotlighted a kind of contented perspiration as she saw the results of years of hard work finally on display.

That debut of Homer Couture that October night marked another milestone for the member of the Oneida Nation’s Wolf Clan — a 35-year creative journey built with the support of Indigenous women who served as her mentors and collaborators. 

A few weeks after the October 2024 fashion show, Homer was thumbing through her designs at the Mary C. Winder Community Center in Oneida County, reminiscing about her journey of becoming a professional fashion designer.

As a child, she watched and learned from her aunt, a quilter by profession, and her grandmother, who made clothes for Homer’s children. She credited her aunt for giving her the courage to launch Homer Couture — a dream that had been a decade in the making.

“When I was talking to her about fashion and coming up with Homer Couture, she was like, ‘You know what? Just do it,’” Homer said about her aunt’s advice. “Because in 20 years, you can tell the kids, ‘Hey, you know what? I tried. I did what I wanted to do.’ I’m glad she did that. She gave me that push to go after it.”

Since then, 43-year-old Homer has enlisted the help of several other Indigenous fashion and beauty professionals, including Jessica Tarbell, a member of the Mohawk Nation and owner of Black Wolf Esthetics and Lash. Tarbell has handled Indigenous makeup for Homer’s models since her first show at Syracuse Style. 

“I like to ask Mary what she’s looking for style-wise, and I play off of what she’s looking for so each show can be a little bit different,” Tarbell said.

Tarbell also emphasized their desire for inclusivity in Indigenous makeup: different tribes have various styles of makeup with specific meanings, and it is important to maintain their distinctiveness while mixing them. She explained that members of the Iroquois Confederacy in New York aren’t “really flashy” and keep makeup to a minimum. But tribes from the western United States incorporate a face dot and other markings into their makeup.

“I feel like whether it’s me being a Mohawk or somebody out West, I want to show our heritage,” Tarbell said. “Our people are Indigenous, so (we) show it off because we’re proud of it.”

And if running one business wasn’t enough, Homer also makes and sells jewelry under her family-owned beadworking enterprise, Beading Wolves. 

Homer was 8 when she started beading with her mother, stringing single-strand necklaces and wrapping dreamcatchers to learn the motion and technique of traditional Oneida beading. She then began experimenting with bugle beads and brick stitching. Before long, she was making multilayered necklaces, intricate earrings, keychains, paracord bracelets and hand-sewn purses. 

Beading Wolves was launched in 2004 after Homer’s second child was born. The enterprise’s name aligns with the Wolf Clan’s matrilineal society. 

Holly Gibson-Orcutt, Homer’s cousin and collaborator for Beading Wolves, helped translate the Oneida words, meaning “those three or more ladies of the Wolf Clan sew the beads down,” as an homage to Homer and three of her daughters, who are also adept at beading. 

And at the 2024 Syracuse Style show, Homer’s two worlds – beading and sewing – converged. 

“I’ve always loved to do beadwork, but I’ve always loved watching fashion,” she said. “And I’m like, ‘Why don’t they put beads on the dress? Why aren’t they putting beads on the shirt? Why aren’t they wearing ribbons?’ We need more Indigenous representation in fashion.”

For Homer, merging her passions wasn’t just an artistic choice but a commitment to preserving her heritage while making it relevant in today’s fashion landscape. Homer Couture’s 2026 Spring/Summer line is slated to debut during the prestigious New York Fashion Week in September 2025. 

“There are a lot of artists from out West, (but) there’s really nothing from Upstate New York,” Homer said. “So I want to represent our area, our style of beadwork, our Oneida people to the bigger world.”

Homer’s traditionally hand-beaded neckties, purses and skirts are deeply rooted in the Oneida Nation’s traditions. 

Leah Shenandoah, who earned a doctoral degree in apparel design from Cornell University and researches decolonizing Indigenous regalia, mentored Homer throughout her fashion journey. Shenandoah praised how Homer’s work bridged two worlds in the label’s “elegant and thoughtful” approach with outfits such as ribbon skirts, corsets and other fashion accessories.

“There’s a whole movement right now of Indigenous fashion where people are combining traditional materials, designs and silhouettes with contemporary fashion, materials and design,” Shenandoah said. “Her work is a prime example of that.”

Homer Couture’s first full collection at Syracuse Style 2024 featured flowing silhouettes made by combining fabrics and textures like tulle and bridal satin, adorned with intricate traditional beadwork, ribbons, and patterns, with each piece telling a different story.

Shenandoah said Homer integrates some digitally printed fabric with Haudenosaunee designs sourced from their mutual friend Monica Antone Watson. She cited the collaboration as an example of “decolonizing our regalia by using modern technology.”

Jocelyn Jackson, a Homer Couture model who is also Homer’s niece, admitted that she was nervous before walking the runway. But as soon as she made her way down, her nerves dissipated. 

“It was like, ‘Pssh! Whatever. Take a picture, pose, walk away,’” Jackson said.

Jackson credited Homer’s designs for making her feel confident during her moment in the spotlight.

 “I was really comfortable in them,” she said. “My skin just felt all nice against the silk, and I loved the designs, I love them. I’ll take ‘em all.”

Homer’s attention and care for her work extend to every aspect of her ventures. Beyond the runway, she works with Gibson-Orcutt at Beading Wolves to create jewelry using wampum and bugle beads as well as hand-beaded purses. From earrings adorned with traditional patterns to handbags that incorporate vibrant hues inspired by the Haudenosaunee flag, each piece is crafted with precision and cultural reverence. 

The importance and impact of Homer’s work are also reflected in the Oneida community’s pride in her approach to both art and business. 

For the Syracuse Style show, Homer wanted to draw attention to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), an initiative focused on thousands of unsolved cases that haven’t attracted community or media interest. One of the MMIW’s symbols is the red handprint, specifically a red hand print over the mouth, which symbolizes a way to give voice to the voiceless and to protest the violence and injustice experienced by Indigenous women. Homer incorporated this symbol by including a handprint of her youngest daughter, Janice, on a skirt. 

At Syracuse Style 2024, Irving Lyons Jr., senior development director at Syracuse’s Museum of Science and Technology, modeled a vibrant red men’s vest for Homer – similar in style to a traditional Haudenosaunee ribbon shirt – with a white handprint on the back, and a red handprint across his mouth.

“That was another reason I wanted to do it – to create awareness for that,” Lyons said. “Whatever I can do to support our native artists, our crafters, whoever. It’s my job.”

Brooke Doris Dowdy, who is also a part of the Oneida Nation’s Wolf clan as well as Homer’s eldest niece, supported her by modeling for Homer Couture even though she was initially hesitant to venture into that world. She looked up to Homer and was grateful for the chance to be a part of her entrepreneurial ventures. 

“I love the way that she perseveres through whatever it is that she is doing,” Dowdy said. “She loves our culture and she loves creating. It’s good to see her doing so much and fulfilling what she is really passionate about.”

Homer’s passion for creating fashion, jewelry and more for her community and others is what she hopes to leave as her legacy for the next generation of Oneida people to take pride in. She recalled dreaming, “One day I’m going to do fashion. One day I’m going to do clothes, purses, high heels and hats – all of it.”

Her “one day” has arrived.