Korina Emmerich
Artist

From our conversation

“I think so much of people's idea of a fashion design is that we draw a picture and then have it created, when the design process doesn't stop until you do the last stitch… I like to actively have the materials be a collaborator in the work that I'm doing.”

Biography

Korina Emmerich founded the slow fashion brand EMME Studio in 2015. Her colorful work celebrates her paternal Indigenous heritage from the Puyallup tribe and strives to expose and dismantle systems of oppression in the fashion industry. She has worked as a board member, special advisor and educator with Slow Factory and The Fibers Fund and works as the Exhibitions and Materials Steward with Catalyst Dance. She is the co-founder of Relative Arts, a brick-and-mortar community space, open studio and shop that showcases contemporary Indigenous fashion and design in New York. Her work has been featured in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vogue, The New York Times and more. She has presented her collections in Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week, Indigenous Fashion Arts, Santa Fe Indian Market's Couture Runway Show and New York Fashion Week.

Visit Relative Arts and EMME Studio to learn more about Korina’s work.

Interview

Indigenous Futurism & Experimental Design: Korina Emmerich
In this conversation, Korina shares her inspiring work driving change in the fashion industry, from producing the inaugural Indigenous New York Fashion Week to co-founding a shop dedicated to Indigenous fashion, art and design. She unpacks her experimental design process and go-to materials, including wool and scrap fabrics. Acknowledging the need for systemic change beyond fashion, Korina envisions regenerative design as a refusal of extractive systems, emphasizing the importance of embracing individuality and community-led solutions.