Born and raised in the Wolf Clan of the Oneida Nation in Central New York, Mary Homer has been around cultural fashion her entire life.
“I’m a fourth-generation bead worker,” Homer Couture and Beading Wolves founder Mary Homer said. “I learned from my mother, who passed away last July. I’ve taken it from learning single-strand necklaces to creating fashions. Now, I’ve taken it further; all my lessons I’ve learned from her.”
She was inspired to carry the work of Haudenosaunee beadwork to a larger scale.
“We took a chance,” Homer said. “I told myself, ‘well, you know what? If we get really good reviews and we do really well, then I’m going to pursue it.’ Six collections later, here we are.”
The self-taught designer has become the first and only Indigenous fashion designer to showcase her collection during Syracuse Fashion Week and, most recently, New York Fashion Week.
“You can feel that tradition and you can feel the culture, you can feel the heritage, you can feel the pride of every piece that I create,” Homer said. “I’m trying to keep my brand as Indigenous as possible, realistically as I can, from hair and makeup to models, I do all the clothing, I do all the beadwork, and I try to help up-and-coming models that might not get a chance, give them a chance to show their skills on the runway.”
Homer says the missing thread of the fashion industry is authentic representation.
“We are here right in Central New York,” Homer said. “And to represent my nation proudly out in the world, to bring hopefully people back to the Oneida homelands, and want to come to the Shako:wi Cultural Center or would want to come check out Turning Stone. This place holds a lot of culture, a lot of history, stories.”
She’s shining a light on the history, but also her advocacy work.
“I always create a handprint to honor the movement, and it’s a staple piece that I create for every line that I do,” Homer said. “The Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women is a worldwide crisis. It is my responsibility as a mother, as an aunt, as a grandmother to spread that awareness.”
It celebrates identity, creativity and resilience with each bead.
“We are still here, and we have to carry on our traditions and our culture and our heritage,” Homer said.
