On Off Stage

Peshawn Bread makes a powerful statement about Indigenous art in front of the cameras. And behind them.

By Kristin Gentry (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma)

Peshawn Bread (they/them) is a non-binary queer Indigenous artist from the Comanche, Kiowa and Cherokee nations. This rising star has been drawing rapid attention in the Native art world with their evocative and thought-provoking House of Sutai fashion brand, a runway venture launched at the inaugural SWAIA Native Fashion Week in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in May. Their passion for storytelling and creativity has always driven them to explore new horizons and blend their culture with artistic endeavors. Whether they’re crafting a screenplay that explores Indigenous humor or designing intricate jewelry that tells a story of its own, Bread’s work resonates deeply with both their tribal community and the broader queer community.

“ I feel like I’ve always had Native art all around me.” —Peshawn Bread

Peshawn Bread (Comanche/Kiowa/Cherokee) wearing designs by Elias Not Afraid (Apsaalooké (Crow) in 2023. Photo courtesy SWAIA / Tira Howard.

All of this new attention is not entirely new to the artist. Bread is very familiar with Native fashion shows as a model, producer and director prior to launching House of Sutai. They have been working as a high-fashion runway model since the age of 13 for the esteemed Diné designer Orlando Dugi at the Red Heat show at the Museum of Contemporary Native Art in Santa Fe. The designer attributes the supportive queer role models of people like Dugi and Ken Williams to their own Indigenous queer identity. Many of Bread’s other ventures revolve around fashion, including as a creative director to produce culturally creative print work for various fashion brands. It is these positions in and out of the fashion world, as well as modeling and screenwriting, that reveal the diversity of creative disciplines Bread has explored. They reflect themes of cultural identity, gender, resilience, advocacy, joy and precision, all stemming from their arts-immersed upbringing. Bread’s multidisciplinary work is a celebration of diversity and an exploration of the intersections between various aspects of their Indigenous queer non-binary identity. They work tirelessly to provide platforms for other marginalized voices, believing that art has, “the power to heal, unite and transform,” Bread says.

Peshawn Bread (Comanche/Kiowa/Cherokee) on a set in college, 2016.

Peshawn Bread (Comanche/Kiowa/Cherokee), left, with Jhane Myers (Comanche) for Levi’s x Born x Raised collaboration.

Bread was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and later moved to Santa Fe at the age of 11. They attended Santa Fe Indian School, where they recall learning how to bead for the first time. “I was already drawing and sketching fashion designs in my first sketchbook from an early age that my late Uncle Ben [Harjo Jr.] gifted me,” Bread says, adding that they were voraciously consuming Vogue magazine and quickly learned, by reading the credit lines on the photos and articles, how many different careers intersected at a fashion shoot. By the time they were in high school, they were leaning into film, writing and poetry. Bread was encircled by well-known Native artists helping influence their future career directions in addition to being the child of Native artist and film producer, Jhane Myers. Living in Santa Fe meant that everyone had expertise in an art form, Bread thought, so why not try it out, right? The creative experimentation rarely stopped.

On the set of The Daily Life of Mistress Red, a short film made in 2022 that Peshawn Bread wrote and directed.

Since then, Bread has had an impressive run of fellowships and programs that have all continued to build their dynamic career fields. They were brought on as an assistant to director Sydney Freeland for her feature film debut, Drunktown’s Finest; they went into the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, and in 2014 were awarded the Inaugural Full Circle Fellowship; in 2019 joined the Native Filmmaker’s Lab with Kyle Bell (who was later mentored by director Spike Lee) and soon began work on the film The Daily Life of Mistress Red. They then worked with the organization IllumiNative and Amazon as the associate producer for the second season of the supernatural mystery Outer Range.

Self-styled shoot with Daniel Joe (Navajo (Diné)).

Later, when Freeman began working on Echo, Marvel’s show with a Choctaw main character, Freeman recalled Bread’s work with IllumiNative and Amazon, and brought them on to work with the pow-wow and stickball scenes for the show. “There was so much ancestral pressure for Echo to show correct Choctaw culture,” Breads says. They stayed on as the cultural coordinator working with and between Marvel and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. This was a pivotal moment for the Choctaw Nation as their specific tribal culture hadn’t been fully portrayed in the media at the level of other tribes. Representation in media has almost always reflected Southwestern or Plains Native tribes, and Echo thoughtfully showed the ancestral and contemporary culture of the Choctaw people, which was a first on television.

Self-styled shoot with Daniel Joe (Navajo (Diné)).As Bread works in creative directing roles for different fashion brands, people often think of the term “influencer,” a term Bread pushes back against with grit and dedication that can be seen in their work. When working as the creative director with Teton Trade Cloth by Lenape, Bread was able to build and grow their brand through culturally correct representation. “When Native people see Natives in an image or on the screen, that’s so impactful,” says Bread. The artist later produced two fashion summits—with Tom Farris and this article’s author—for Teton Trade Cloth at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City. Ralph Lauren saw the work Bread had done and brought them on to help develop their artist-in-residency program that is currently working with Navajo weaver Naiomi Glasses. For Ralph Lauren, the man and the company, the goal is to move beyond mere representation and toward meaningful inclusion. They build where everyone—regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity—can see themselves and be seen with respect and dignity.

Peshawn Bread (Comanche/Kiowa/Cherokee) modeling for Shy Natives, founded by Northern Cheyenne sisters Madison and Jordan Craig.

While seemingly conquering the fashion world, Bread is also continuously moving up in the world of film and television. Their debut in the film festival circuit for the mockumentary short film The Daily Life of Mistress Red has garnered a very large positive response across queer and straight Native communities. The film, about a Native woman dominatrix dominating racist white men, portrayed contemporary Native women in comical, yet still powerful roles. The project was empowering for Bread, who directed and wrote the film. In 2024, the director of IndigiPopX, the Indigenous pop culture festival held in Oklahoma, created an entire night around the film and its director for the festival’s “IndigiQueer Night.” The event was a monumentally positive gathering of an even smaller 2SLGBTQIA minority—the “2S” refers to the uniquely Indigenous term Two-Spirit—in an already minority population of Indigenous people. IndigiQueers and allies from North and South America joined in for the sold-out event, which incorporated authentic voices and stories as a key theme. Bread frequently collaborates with members of the 2SLGBTQIA community to ensure their perspectives are accurately and respectfully portrayed, and that this can make a significant difference. This collaborative approach not only enhances the authenticity of the storytelling, but also empowers the community to take control of their own narratives.

Jen Rader (Sokaogon Chippewa tribe of Wisconsin) wearing House of Sutai, designed by Peshawn Bread (Comanche/Kiowa/Cherokee). Photo by Tira Wan.

As remarkable as these aspects of Bread’s career are, they only tell part of the story. Bread is still growing and developing as an artist. Recently, they began turning to jewelry. “When I’m working on set, I like to do something creative at the same time,” Bread says, referring to downtime on the Echo set. It was there the artist turned to jewelry as a response to the methodical part of film creation. During the 2023 Writer’s Guild of America strike, Bread started stringing together pieces of trade beads, dentalium, glass and more. These jewelry pieces began to sell quickly on social media, and Bread was encouraged by their partner to officially launch House of Sutai. They even sketched out the logo for it while on the Marvel set. Within months, House of Sutai had its own Instagram account (@houseofsutai), and its founder was invited by fashion producer Amber-Dawn Beard Robe to launch the brand at SWAIA Native Fashion Week.

Eian Sundust (Shoshone Bannock/Northern Ute/San Carlos Apache/Piipaash Maricopa) wearing House of Sutai, designed by Peshawn Bread (Comanche/Kiowa/Cherokee). Photo by Tira Wan.

House of Sutai jewelry.

The Fashion Week show began with a prayer in Comanche on the runway. For Bread, the designs that were being shown had personal connections. “My collection drew inspiration from my aunt Josephine’s weavings that are housed at the Comanche Nation Museum,” notes Bread. Other aspects of the show focused on 1970s-era themes that addressed issues of appropriation of Native floral designs intermixed into popular culture, an issue that sparked both admiration and controversy. This era of exploration often led to the appropriation of Indigenous motifs without proper acknowledgment or respect for their cultural significance. The late 1960s and 1970s saw a surge in the use of Native American-inspired patterns in everything from clothing to home decor. These designs, rich with history and meaning, were frequently stripped of their context and commercialized. While some artists and designers aimed to honor Native craftsmanship, many others exploited these symbols purely for aesthetic appeal, leading to a commodification of cultural heritage. This appropriation not only diluted the original meanings of these designs, but also contributed to the erasure of Native voices and traditions. The fight for Native rights at places like Wounded Knee, the occupation of Alcatraz and the development of the American Indian Movement were on the forefront going into the 1970s disco scene. House of Sutai aims to show what Native designers and peoples could have been wearing at the disco if they weren’t fighting for their own human rights. During the runway show, Bread had models of various genders, sizes and tribal backgrounds walking and rollerskating to show the breadth of how Native people would have looked 50 years ago.

Marvel Studio Echo blanket from Teton Trade Cloth. Peshawn Bread worked as a cultural coordinator on the Marvel television production. Photo by Tira Wan.

For Bread, who’s had a whirlwind rise at a break-neck speed, the work has been rewarding. The debut of The Daily Life of Mistress Red and the launch of House of Sutai have been particularly impactful. To those watching, these projects showcase Bread’s multifaceted talents and commitment to authentic representation. Those characteristics are on view in all Bread touches, on film and television sets as writer, director and creative consultant; on fashion runways as model, producer and designer; in print for various Native companies and branding campaigns; on social media; and adorning the body of Indigenous peoples worldwide. Bread continues to provide platforms for marginalized voices and promote meaningful inclusion in the creative industry.