This Native American Heritage Day, we’re spotlighting 4KINSHIP, an Indigenous-owned sustainable artwear brand, boutique, community, and creative agency founded by Amy Denet Deal. The Diné (Navajo) designer created the brand as a way of honoring her ancestral lands of New Mexico. Founded in 2015, 4KINSHIP was the product of Denet Deal’s nearly four decades of experience in the fashion industry and a personal journey into reconnecting with her Indigenous roots. Within 4KINSHIP’s brick-and-mortar storefront in Santa Fe’s Canyon Road, the space hosts Denet Deal’s upcycled garments, vintage clothing, and curated goods from over 10 Indigenous artisans and designers.

But 4KINSHIP goes beyond business: Denet Deal weaves in community support in any way she can. In 2019, Denet Deal moved to New Mexico to reintegrate with her tribe right before the pandemic struck, and spent 2020 providing mutual aid relief for relatives on Navajo Nation. 4KINSHIP’s most recent fundraising effort is for Diné Skate Garden Project, a skatepark built for Diné youth within the remote Two Grey Hills community on Navajo Nation. Sponsored by DC Shoes, Vans, and The Skatepark Project (formerly the Tony Hawk Foundation), the Diné Skate Garden Project reached its fundraising goal in partnership with singer/songwriter Jewel and the Inspiring Children Foundation. 4KINSHIP previously collaborated with Jewel, a long-time supporter of the brand, on limited edition hand-dyed sweatsuits for her brand, Songlines by Jewel.

Whether it is by stocking Native history books within the store, hosting live events, or designing eclectic fashion, 4KINSHIP is a transformative hub to explore Indigenous history and celebrate Native culture.

You can check out more of 4KINSHIP’s work here on Creatively and @hellocreatively on Instagram.

What is the first creative project you remember?

Creating a custom wardrobe for my dolls when I was little, made from flowers.

Describe your aesthetic in three words.

JOYFUL. ECLECTIC. UTILITARIAN.

What was the most fulfilling collaboration you’ve worked on?

Working with my daughter Lily. We started this brand together when she was a teenager, and she will always be the heart behind the brand. I wanted to create a business model that not only honored her future on this planet but reconnected us to our indigeneity.

What’s one creative project that taught you something fundamental about yourself?

Diné Skate Garden Project. I started this project to provide Navajo youth with health and wellness tools by helping the community build a skate park. But as the project progressed, I realized it was also a way for me to heal and honor my birth mom and come to terms with the trauma she and many relatives experienced in boarding school.

Do you think creativity is something you’re born with, or something you’re taught?

Creativity is in each of us in unique ways. We all start off with joyful play as children, which often fades. It takes focus to keep this joyfulness in our days by doing what you are truly passionate about. I can’t wait to wake up every day to create.

What’s the last dream you had?

In the last dream I had, I was a shepherd with sheep that could fly.

One hundred years from now, what do you hope people write about your work?

That our company was not just built on sustainable processes in fashion but was also a platform to create sustainable solutions for future generations.

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