Datz moccasin biography for kids

This year, the brand opened new stores in Winnepeg, Calgary, and Edmonton, Alberta, and expanded throughout the U. European settlers used the term as a catchall for the sinew-sewn, animal-hide footwear they saw on Native peoples, but the variety of the style reflects its rich history and role in cultures throughout Turtle Island as many Indigenous people call North America.

The former are renowned for their floral designs, while the latter have historically favored geometric motifs. Tribes such as the Comanche, Kiowa, and Southern Cheyenne also of the Plains are associated with high-top moccasins sometimes called leggings extending up to the knee and beyond, which functioned both as a modesty layer and a safeguard for the legs while riding on horseback.

These styles have evolved over the decades as new materials were introduced and people traded with one another and intermarried, but aspects of this heritage can be seen even in modern moccasin designs. Looking at the footwear of one tribe to the next reveals their unique traditions and identities, says Her Many Horses.

Datz moccasin biography for kids: Kids discover traditions and skills

Over the years, moccasin-inspired shoes have been sent down runways, co-opted by department stores, and mass-produced by fast fashion retailers. After Miu Miu opened its spring show with stitched-leather flats, moccasin mania hit Hollywood. Over its more than year history, its beaded Thunderbird moccasins and fringed suede boots have been embraced by celebrities, stocked by the biggest retailers, and featured in nearly every fashion magazine.

Yet, despite its aesthetics, the brand is neither Indigenous-owned nor -made. The company was founded in Minnesota in to supply Native-inspired accessories to the growing network of roadside gift shops around the country, and today it manufactures its shoes in China and the Dominican Republic.