Leatherworkers gather in Oregon, Diné weavers bring their rugs to Utah, and designers and bootmakers put their own mark on familiar materials.
In Pendleton, Oregon, leatherworkers are preparing to put their belts, saddles, chaps and handbags before a panel of judges. In Utah, Diné weavers are getting ready to lay out rugs whose colors and patterns reflect generations of regional knowledge. And in Wisconsin, Indigenous designers are finishing collections for a weekend runway show.
The gatherings are part of a busy week for the people who make clothing and objects by hand. Elsewhere, a León bootmaker is working with the forms of Mexican vaquero footwear, while a collaboration between Wrangler and Imogene + Willie returns to the denim archives for its final release.
At the leather bench in Pendleton
The Pendleton Leather Show opened its four-day workshop program on November 4 at the Pendleton Convention Center. Thirty-six classes are scheduled through Saturday, with a free trade-show floor open November 6 and 7.
Among the instructors, Erik Griffith is teaching floral leather carving at introductory and advanced levels. Lexi Brunson is leading workshops on geometric stamping and making a fully tooled leather belt.
The show’s competition covers belts, handbags, chaps and saddles, with separate novice and open divisions. Independent judges provide written evaluations, and winners are scheduled to be announced November 7 at 4 p.m.
A market for Diné weaving
At Snow Park Lodge in Deer Valley, Utah, the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Navajo Rug Show & Sale opens November 6. The three-day event marks the program’s 40th anniversary and brings together handwoven rugs, jewelry, baskets and other work by participating elders and their families.
Artists set their own prices and receive 100% of the proceeds from their handmade work. Visitors can meet weavers, see the textiles in person and attend cultural demonstrations. A paid opening reception takes place Friday, followed by free public admission Saturday and Sunday.
The rugs represent weaving traditions associated with Two Grey Hills, Ganado, Klagetoh, Crystal and other regions. Each finished piece carries the choices of its maker, from the preparation and color of the wool to the arrangement of its design.
Woodland designs on the runway
In Green Bay, Wisconsin, the 19th annual Woodland Indian Art Show & Market takes place November 7–8 at the Oneida Casino Hotel. The event’s theme this year is “Art is Medicine.”
Jennifer Benally of Shinymoon Creations is producing Saturday’s Indigenous Fashion Show with five additional designers. The collections will draw on Woodland cultural traditions through materials and visual elements including ribbon work, floral patterns, natural imagery and beadwork. A second show on Sunday will focus on youth clothing, featuring Wah-to-ben by Vanny Wheelock and Sadie Hill Kelley.
Benally has spent more than 30 years creating regalia and contemporary clothing. In 2023, she graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts and participated in a Nike color-and-trend internship.
Bootmaking in León
In León, Guanajuato, Mexican footwear maker Unmarked is presenting its Fall/Winter 2026 collection, “Shaped by Hand.” Its designs draw from the country’s vaquero tradition, with Western pull-ons and ropers alongside engineer boots and lace-up styles.
The company shapes, lasts and finishes its footwear in its León workshop. Its construction methods include Goodyear welting and stitchdown, and the company describes a process involving more than 200 operations over approximately four weeks. Some of its machinery dates to the early twentieth century.
The leathers are chosen to develop creases, variations in color and patina with wear. Current listings include Lechuguera boots at around $690 and Durango variations at around $720. The collection is a current seasonal assortment; its precise launch date has not been established.
Bootmakers meet in Chicago
The Stitchdown Expo returns to Chicago’s Artifact Events this week, with its main exhibition on November 6 and 7. Bootmakers, shoemakers, tanneries and leather-goods manufacturers are gathering for the event, previously known as Boot Camp.
This year’s program adds Super Trunk, organized with Kirby Allison, Shoegazing and The Shoe Snob, bringing dress shoemaking and finishing into the exhibition. Workshops cover belts, wallets, watchbands, hand-welting and footwear finishing. The schedule also includes tours of Horween Leather Company and Optimo Hat Company, along with an Americas shoe-shining competition on November 7.
Old denim, new cuts
Wrangler and Imogene + Willie are scheduled to release the final installment of their three-part collaboration on November 7. The original announcement described the third drop as an assortment of deadstock denim garments in historic Western cuts, including a rigid Western snap shirt. The complete assortment had not been documented as of November 5.
The first installment reconstructed Wrangler’s 1964 10MWZ jean using remaining Cone Mills White Oak selvedge. The second used fabrics developed with Mount Vernon Mills for pieces including the 27MW Western snap shirt and 11MJZ zip-front jacket.
Across the Atlantic, London-based E.L.V. Denim and Sanderson Design Group have taken another route through the archive. Their limited collection combines post-consumer denim with surplus Sanderson botanical textiles, placing prints originally developed for interiors onto jeans, jackets, patchwork outerwear and tops.
Western goods, from Nocona to the hat shop
Western Horseman’s newly published Christmas Gift Guide includes a range of goods from specialist makers. Fenoglio Boot Co.’s Holliday full-quill ostrich boots, made in Nocona, Texas, are listed at $899.99. Catalena Hatters’ custom 100X beaver hat starts at $999, while American Hat Company’s 1000X felt hat is listed from $3,090 to $3,660.
The guide also includes silver-and-turquoise jewelry from HYO Silver, leatherwork from K Bar J Leather Company and a traditional canvas cowboy bedroll from J.M. Capriola Company. The products appear in the newly published guide; they are not necessarily new releases.