Fashion entrepreneur Amy Yeung moved her LA-based online apparel business Orenda Tribe to live on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico, among the indigenous sewers, jewelry makers, and artisans who are her suppliers.
Yeung plans to help the tribe, while further connecting with its members through her store near the Old Town section of Albuquerque.
Yeung plans to create jobs by launching a small-scale manufacturing facility to produce items like T-shirts and bandanas. She expects to fund it with grants. According to Yeung, government agencies are eager to support indigenous entrepreneurship.
Yeung’s store has no name – and has opened officially on August 29. In addition to Yeung’s creations, the store stocks work from around 50 indigenous artisans, a number Yeung hopes will rise to 200.