You don’t take more than you need.
– Korina Emmerich
Brooklyn, New York-based artist and designer Korina Emmerich creates fashion that goes beyond the practice of ‘cut and sew’, offering a deeper meaning of social and climate justice. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, Emmerich’s work reflects her patrilineal Indigenous heritage stemming from the Coast Salish Territory, Puyallup tribe. By reclaiming the Indigenous culture through fashion, emphasizing traditional elements in a modern way, Emmerich amplifies their voices and untold history.
Her brand, EMME Studio, located on occupied Canarsie territories, in greater Lenapehoking, is built on a slow Fashion and ethical fashion methodology, centered around a respect for the earth. Grounded in her own upbringing as a steward of the land, “you don’t take more than you need”, Emmerich operates a made-to-order, direct-to-consumer business, that gives her control over waste, and excess production, while using natural fibers, upcycled materials, and low impact dyes. Noted from an interview with CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), her comments resonate with this approach, “We are extremely cautious about eliminating waste in the design process and reinventing scrap materials. This philosophy of using materials until there is nothing left and never taking more than you need are inherently Indigenous concepts. Making sure we are reducing our overall impact.”
Pendleton® fabrics are the cornerstone of EMME Studio. Pendleton Woolen Mills, a Pacific Northwest wool manufacturer, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, has a unique history and association with the Indigenous community that spans over the company’s 160-year history. Emmerich, who characterizes the association as a “pan-Indigenous cultural indicator”, takes on the history and all its baggage of misappropriation, uncredited and uncompensated contributions made by the Indigenous community, by reclaiming the aesthetic, reclaiming the narrative, and shining a light on the untold stories. Today, Pendleton has put in place positive initiatives that support Indigenous communities and creatives.
Reclaiming and centering Emmerich’s work around Pendleton has special based on childhood memories. “Pendleton® blankets were everywhere”, she said in an interview with Leia Pellot of NYU’s Fashion In/Action. They were traded, gifted, shared, and popular on the powwow circuit. “As a child of the Pacific Northwest, there is a sense of pride working with these materials that are hand woven in my home state from local wool shepherds. The company is committed to sustainable and renewable practices and recognizes the inherent circularity of their product.”
With strong ties to the community, Emmerich is active in organizing, leading, and educating, demanding just, equitable, and humane treatment for all. She leverages her platform to expose and dismantle systems of oppression, challenge colonial ways of thinking, while calling out the industry’s responsibility and accountability for the climate crisis. She has worked as a special advisor and educator for The Slow Factory Foundation, an environmental and social justice nonprofit organization. She co-founded Relative Arts NYC, located in the East Village, a creative space celebrating sustainable and subversive art and fashion.
Emmerich is one of the featured artists in the highly acclaimed An Indigenous Present by renowned artist Jeffrey Gibson (Choctaw Cherokee). Her work was notably featured in In America: A Lexicon of Fashion at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA PS1, The Denver Art Museum, Vogue, Elle, New York Magazine, among others, and on the runway at New York Fashion Week, Santa Fe Indian Market’s Couture Runway Show, and Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week. EMME Studio Snoqualmie dress landed on the cover of the August 2021 issue of InStyle magazine worn by the first Indigenous United States cabinet member, Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, giving InStyle the 2021 Adweek’s Magazine Cover of the Year.
Feature image: Korina Emmerich at CLOTH, Construct, CULTURE: fashion builds a story opening reception at Parallax Art Center, Portland, Oregon, October 2023, photo by T. Christian Gapen IMG_0337
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