Sabrina Lombardo has always had an eye for unique outfits and a passion for creating.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, the Chicago-based designer has her own brand, Native Nation Designs, has shown a collection at New York Fashion Week, and is the first student to graduate from Milwaukee’s Edessa School of Fashion. Lombardo describes her style as ethereal and organic, with distinct silhouettes, free-flowing designs and lots of color.
She pulls inspiration from her Mexican and Native American heritage, drawing on Indigenous beadwork techniques, embroidery and embellishments. “Oftentimes, I’ll blend American culture and Indigenous culture,” she says. “Sometimes Indigenous culture gets downplayed, but we don’t realize what a huge impact it has.”
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Reds and a Ribbon Skirt
Skirt
Lombardo’s mom, Angela Kingsawan, who also attends Edessa, made this ribbon skirt for her with inspiration from the ribbon skirts women wear to events in Native communities. “I’m Rarámuri and Tigua, and in both those cultures there’s a version of the ribbon skirt,” she says. “This is a play on the traditional garments for Rarámuri women.”
Hat
Lombardo beaded this hat herself. “This is a really popular technique in Native culture – beading the brims of hats,” she says. It took her about two weeks and is one of her favorite accessories.
Earrings
Asymmetrical earrings are one small way to start wearing things that make you happy, according to Lombardo. “People will notice without you putting too much effort forward,” she says. Each earring in this pair is unique, made from beads she found and jingles (bells) on the ends.
Shoes
“I am obsessed with these shoes,” Lombardo says. From Akira, the statement boots are not only a pop of color but also comfortable to wear. “I just take every chance I can get to wear these.”
Cool Tones and Culottes
“Color is something that just really boosts your happiness. … I’ve always colored and use different colored pens when I’m taking notes. And [one of my instructors] came up to me and she’s like, ‘You know, Sabrina, when you take notes in different colors, it helps you retain them better because people don’t see in black and white.’ And that’s a line that just really spoke to me and it’s something that I really live my life by because we we don’t live in black and white and we shouldn’t force ourselves to.”
Sabrina Lombardo
Top
Lombardo bought this bold blue and yellow top from a BOGO sale at Akira a couple years ago. “It’s just one of those pieces that makes you be yourself,” she says. “You have to have a large personality to wear this. So I think it represents me really well. And I am obsessed with these beautiful like brocade fabrics. … It’s just really unique and fun.”
Culottes
Designed and made by Lombardo herself, these flowy pants are a play on the ribbon skirt, except instead of the traditional horizontal ribbons, the culottes have ribbons going both vertically and horizontally. “There are always a couple of pieces I take from my collections. And I’m like, ‘No, I’m not selling those, I just need to wear those everywhere.'”
Shoes
These custom deer-hide moccasins were made by artist Rachel Jeske. “They’re actually soft-soled moccs so they don’t have another piece reinforced on the bottom, so I don’t wear them out a whole lot.”
Headscarf
“This headscarf is popular in Hmong culture, which also has huge ties to Milwaukee,” Lombardo says. “However, I think it’s funny because this style also comes from Eastern European style. And it was one of the things that was often traded with indigenous peoples when Europeans came to this country, and so I thought it was a good play on Indigenous and colonialism.”
Casual Quilted Calico
“One of my goals for this year is just being myself and wearing things that make me feel 100% myself and happy. And not necessarily considering what other people have to say about that.”
Sabrina Lombardo
Wrap
The quilted calico wrap is one of the pieces in Kingsawan’s first collection as a designer. The quilted piece is made from vintage Calico fabrics she found. “Calicoes are also a huge part of Indigenous culture. In the late 1700s and 1800s, a lot of tribes were forced to wear European styles, and so Calico was something that was given to Indigenous people because it was considered lower end,” Lombardo says. “But being a culture of resilience, you take things that are given to you and you make something beautiful with them. And that’s really represented in this piece.”
Earrings
Her love for mismatched earrings comes back in this outfit. One earring she made with a vintage bronze piece that she found. The other was a gift – a moth with a piece of mother of pearl at the bottom. “I’m obsessed with bug jewelry,” she says. “People oftentimes think bugs are gross. … I’m all about finding the beauty in things that people might not like or think is beautiful originally and creating something with it.”
Shoes
Lombardo’s leather booties dress down this outfit. “[The wrap] can be dressed up or down, and by wearing these it kind of dresses it down a little so I can just wear it around town and not feel too bougie,” she says. “These were also a gift so they just make me happy.”
