Patricia Michaels was raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and has always been deeply influenced by the culture, landscape, and art. She is a member of Taos Pueblo in New Mexico and continues to draw her inspiration from the nature around her and her native community. Patricia studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. Her company is named after her native name Waterlily. She works with organic materials, hand-dyes her fabric, and uses algae pigments that show nature's influence on her work. As the first Native American fashion designer participating in Season 11 of "Project Runway" in 2012, Patricia won the first runner-up title. She gained international recognition after the show and since then has shown her work in various fashion shows and exhibitions and won many awards.

"While I was on Project Runway I encountered the constant battle of the fellow competitors not understanding who I was or where I came from. Even to the point of not knowing that Native Americans still existed. The judges and the guest judges were not knowledgeable about Natives or anything about my home state of New Mexico and would ask me about it over and over again." – Patricia Michaels

Find her work here:
www.waterlilyfashion.com