Deb Haaland: How America’s first Native American woman governor wears her heritage

A member of the Pueblo of Laguna, one of the 19 Pueblo communities in New Mexico, Deb Haaland became the first Native American to serve as a US Cabinet secretary in 2021, when she was appointed Secretary of the Interior under President Joe Biden. Before entering the Cabinet, she represented New Mexico's First Congressional District in the House of Representatives. In November 2026, she made history once again, becoming the first Native American woman elected governor of a US state, following her victory in the New Mexico gubernatorial election.

Over the years, her public appearances have also offered a compelling study in the relationship between fashion, cultural identity and representation. Ribbon skirts, turquoise jewellery, intricate beadwork, handcrafted moccasins and contemporary creations by Indigenous designers recur throughout her wardrobe, forming a visual language that is deeply rooted in her heritage.

Whether attending a presidential inauguration, appearing before Congress or stepping onto a fashion runway, she approaches clothing as an extension of her identity, and uses it as an opportunity to celebrate indigenous artistry by bringing traditional craftsmanship into dialogue with contemporary fashion. The result is a distinctive personal style that is at once politically resonant and rooted in a strong sense of identity.

In a January 2026 interview with Marie Claire, she explained, “When getting ready, I always think about how to blend traditional elements with the professional clothes required for the work I do.” adding that she would often pair monochromatic suits with elk-tooth capes and Pendleton coats, or wearing ribbon skirts with blazers, T-shirts and statement earrings by Indigenous artists.

Here is a breakdown of her most iconic fashion moments.

The yellow ribbon skirt at Biden inauguration

At the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamal Harris, Haaland made a statement in a yellow ribbon skirt by Aiukli Designs. The below-the-knee skirt featured horizontal ribbons in shades of green, red and neutral tones. Ribbon skirts are worn by women in numerous Indigenous communities, although their designs, meanings and traditions vary between nations. Often associated with ceremonies, powwows and other significant occasions, they have also become an important expression of cultural identity and continuity. The colours, patterns and embellishments can carry personal, familial or community significance, making each skirt a distinct creation.

The swearing-in ceremony as Secretary of the Interior: a tribute to her Pueblo heritage

At her swearing-in ceremony as Secretary of the Interior, she wore a colourful ribbon skirt created by Reecreeations, the design label of Plains Cree artist Agnes Woodward of Kawacatoose First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. The skirt was embellished with ribbons, butterflies, stars and a cornstalk. Its rainbow of colours represented all people, while the butterflies offered a message of hope and transformation. The cornstalk was a personal reference to Haaland's membership of the Pueblo of Laguna. Woodward created the garment as a celebration skirt to mark Haaland's historic appointment.

Haaland completed the ensemble with traditional Laguna Pueblo moccasins, a turquoise-bead necklace and a concho belt. Her dragonfly earrings were created by Pat Pruitt, a metalsmith from Laguna Pueblo known for his intricate work in materials including zirconium, titanium and stainless steel. The dragonfly earrings offered a contemporary interpretation of Indigenous jewellery, demonstrating how traditional references can be translated into modern forms without losing their cultural character.

Turquoise is a recurring colour in Haaland's wardrobe. Long associated with jewellery and artistic traditions across the American Southwest, the stone has particular significance in several Indigenous communities, including Pueblo and Navajo traditions.

Concho belts, meanwhile, are an enduring feature of Southwestern silverwork. Comprising decorative metal discs, they have a history closely associated with Navajo silversmithing and have since become recognisable elements of Southwestern adornment. Haaland's choice to wear one with a ribbon skirt brought another dimension of regional craftsmanship into the

Turqoise shawl

In one of her most recognizable portraits, Haaland wears a red and turquoise shawl draped over her shoulders. The piece combines vivid turquoise with deep red and ivory, its geometric detailing and long fringed. Shawls have an important place in the clothing traditions of several Native American communities, although their forms and significance differ across nations. Among Pueblo communities, woven garments have historically served both everyday and ceremonial purposes, with certain textiles worn as shoulder coverings, mantas and shawls. Beyond their practical function, shawls can carry associations of cultural continuity, craftsmanship and community identity. Haaland complements the vivid colours with silver jewellery, including a substantial pendant necklace and matching earrings, as well as a colourful beaded bracelet.

White and gold bodice with a vintage twist

In May 2025, Haaland made a surprise appearance at Native Fashion Week Santa Fe, walking runway presentation in a design by Michelle Luna, a Diné designer from Northern New Mexico belonging to the Bitterwater and Redhouse clans. She chose a modern interpretation of a traditional Indigenous ribbon skirt, detailed with horizontal gradient ribbons fading through black, brown, gold, and cream, paired with a structured, long-sleeved black button-up collared shirt layered beneath the gown's white bodice highlighted with a matching gold chevron panel, creating a vintage look recalling the 19th century.

Mixed Ovoid earrings

Posing for a magazine shoot highlighting Native American designers, Haaland chose the statement "Mixed Ovoid" earrings created by Indigenous designer Warren Steven Scott, who belongs to the Nlaka'pamux Nation. Large statement earrings and jewellery are common in Native American clothing and tradition. Materials sourced from the natural world, such as shell, bone, feathers, and trade beads, were meticulously crafted into ornaments that communicated a person's tribal identity, lineage, spiritual protection, and social status. Haaland's choice to wear these striking contemporary pieces pays tribute to tradition, using visual adornment as a powerful marker of sovereignty and cultural resilience.

Haaland's has consistently used her public profile to bring contemporary Native American designers into the fashion conversation, highlighting a creative industry that is often overlooked by mainstream fashion publications. Haaland's fashion choices highlight the intersections pf cultural identity and political authority. Wearing Indigenous fashion while holding positions of power empowers the indigenous people, and the representation at a political stage validates Indigenous cultural inheritance, which is exactly what Haaland aims at.

As she prepares to take office as New Mexico's governor, we can be sure that she will continue to use fashion as a means of carrying history into the present, and of making space for Indigenous creativity in places where it has too often been absent.

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