Amelia Schafer
ICT and Rapid City Journal
RAPID CITY, S.D. — When Caitlin Hein, Sicangu Lakota from Mission, S.D., was in elementary school, she began to dream of being a fashion designer, so her great-grandmother bought her a Singer sewing machine at a yard sale.
Hein, 25, started off small, making clothing for her Build-A-Bear toys and dolls, but with time she upgraded to clothing. Despite her passion, Hein said she never thought a fashion design career was feasible, and initially began thrift shopping and upcycling as a hobby.
“When I was younger I had a hard time envisioning myself being all these things, whether it was a fashion designer or XYZ because I didn’t see people who looked like me,” Hein said.
Years later, she’s now the owner of a small business, Garbage Tale Vintage, a vintage clothing store offering various unique and quirky pieces in Rapid City.
Indigenous people are extremely underrepresented in the fashion industry, less than 0.5 percent of fashion designers are American Indian, and even fewer are Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native, according to data from the US census.
Despite the stark lack of representation, Hein continued to pursue her dream. While she was attending the University of Northern Colorado, Hein delved more into her love of thrift shopping, spending her Saturdays browsing local estate sales and thrift shops. She began to collect unique clothing items and later in 2018 began to sell those items on Depop, a popular online used clothing website.
Not long after, Hein’s Depop page rapidly gained popularity and she became a top seller on the website. Using her talents as a seamstress to alter the clothing and create new, unique designs.
Sustainability is a key factor in Garbage Pale, as Hein was inspired by her great-grandmother, who taught her the importance of environmentalism, sustainability and tactfulness.
“Second-hand things are, in my opinion, just as cool or even cooler than you think,” Hein said.
Over time, Hein’s dreams for her brand grew and she said she found herself wanting more than an online page.
Hein began to host pop-up shops in Rapid City and slowly gained a following around town, leading to the opening of her brick-and-mortar store in 2022 at 626 Saint Joseph St. in downtown Rapid City.
The store’s name comes from the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” as well as Hein’s love for the 1980s Garbage Pail kids cards and “tale” comes from the memories and stories behind each piece of clothing she sells.
“I love passing the information on to customers because these aren’t just clothes to me,” Hein said. “They have stories and they have character and they’re so much more to me than just a T-shirt you buy from Target.”
Hein keeps her Indigenous roots close to her and her store’s brand, featuring a LandBack flag, a KRZYNDN license plate, and other unique pieces around her store.
Last year the brand participated in last year’s Native POP, an Indigenous art and culture festival hosted in Rapid City, as a fashion show catwalk and this year will be participating again, but as a featured designer with photographer Eunice Straighthead, Mniconjou Lakota from the Eagle Butte, S.D., and leather worker Ryia LeBeau, Oohe Nunpa Lakota, also from Eagle Butte.
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The collaboration, Altar+Native, will feature Indigenous designs such as concho belts, leather works, and ribbon work alongside alternative elements such as metal studs, spikes, and elaborate makeup.
For LeBeau, this project and her art, in general, is about self-expression. The art isn’t inspired by her Lakota heritage, it is her heritage.
“My art expresses itself through me. Heritage is me. I am that,” LeBeau said. “Heritage is not incorporated, I am that living experience. My art is made possible because of my lineage. It is a product of my worldly experience.”
Something integral to the project is also representation, which Hein said is important right now and is something she sees slowly growing in Rapid City.
“A lot of the representation we see is either traditional or prints or just small pieces, and we just wanted to go for the overall vision,” Straighthead said. “It’s not just a clothing line, it’s a different perspective on how we view Indigenous fashion, which is what makes it different.”
Straighthead and LeBeau, who grew up together, met Hein through a mutual love of alternative fashion and the unique intersection of a love of Indigenous culture and alternative design.
“Everything we do is inherently alternative to the mainstream, because of our unique experience as Indian people,” LeBeau said. “Our work together showcases how Indian Society has evolved and adapted over time. It is truly amazing to witness timeless components of our looks merge with new age perseverance and self-expression.”
Altar+Native will be a featured designer at Native POP July 8-9 in Main Street Square.
This story is co-published by the Rapid City Journal and ICT, a news partnership that covers Indigenous communities in the South Dakota area.
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