In northeastern Oregon, wide open landscapes stretch toward the horizon. Ranching families have worked this land for generations, while the ancestral homelands of Tribes including the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla have shaped its cultural identity for far longer.
It’s also a place filled with remarkable craftsmanship.
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From leather workers and bead artists to textile and fashion designers, the Pendleton region has long produced some of the most distinctive handmade work in the West. There’s the historic Hamley Western Store, and the legendary Pendleton Round-Up, of course–but there hasn’t always been a platform that brings those worlds together.
That’s about to change.
October 15–17, Pendleton will host the inaugural Interwoven: Where Cultures Meet, a three-day fashion and cultural event celebrating Indigenous and Western artists through runway shows, a curated artisan market, food experiences and creative collaborations.
For Jacob Wallis, the organizer behind the fashion programming, the idea began long before the event had a name.
Wallis, business services manager at Nixyaawii Community Financial Services, spends his days helping entrepreneurs build businesses and generational wealth within the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. His work blends economic development with cultural investment—something that naturally led him to the arts.
“I always wanted to do a fashion show, probably because of my aunties growing up who were incredible seamstresses,” Wallis shared. “They were making costumes with intricate patterns out of potato sacks for church variety shows. Not a lot of people got to see them and they never sold them, but to us, they were like demigods.”
Those early memories stuck with him. The talent in his community was undeniable, but most people outside his community never saw that talent firsthand.
“We’ve been creating all along,” Wallis said. “We just needed a platform.”
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Staplemans Boots
Building a Fashion Show That Supports Designers
Wallis’s journey to that platform wasn’t straightforward.
Growing up with Nimiipuu, Yakama and Klickitat heritage, Wallis set three goals for himself: graduate from Oregon State University, work for Nike and give back to his tribe. The first he achieved. The second appeared within reach, but life, as it often does, rewrote the order. Standing between a role with Nike and a new position closer to home, Wallis realized the dream that mattered most wasn’t the one he had once imagined.
“I knew Nike would always be there. The opportunity to serve my community, though? To help build businesses, nurture creativity and strengthen the local economy, I knew it might not be, so I took it,” he shared.
Soon after starting his role, he helped launch a small Indigenous fashion show and marketplace. What began as a creative experiment quickly gained momentum, with over 50 designers and more than 100 models going through the shows.
So when approached for a new fashion event with Interwoven, Wallis was ready, with just one condition: help the creatives build sustainable careers.
“I didn’t want to do a fashion show and then say, ‘See you next year,’” Wallis said. “The goal was to help people turn their craft into something lasting.”
Emerging and Established Designers Take the Runway
Indigenous Creatives NCFS ATNI-EDC
Interwoven builds on that foundation, expanding the vision into a regional showcase.
The event will feature multiple runway shows highlighting both established and emerging designers from across the Pacific Northwest. Indigenous textiles, Western craftsmanship and contemporary fashion will share the stage.
Much of what is seen in the fashion shows will be on display in the markets, with the opportunity to meet the designers and creatives. Some designers’ work will likely be found at the Hamley Western Store—one of the oldest Western retailers in the nation—an initiative Wallis created a few years ago to put regional artists in the storefront.
For Wallis, the magic happens when artists at different stages come together.
“Emerging designers can lean on veterans and learn the process faster,” he said. “But even the experienced designers never stop learning. There’s always collaboration happening.”
“De-Siloing” The Community with a Market
The Interwoven Market will feature roughly 70 regional artists and makers, carefully curated to highlight exceptional craftsmanship and cultural storytelling.
Visitors will find everything from beadwork and jewelry to leather goods, textiles and contemporary apparel. Maker demonstrations and workshops will allow attendees to meet the artists and learn about their craft.
“This is about bringing people into the same room,” Wallis said. “When you de-silo a community, that’s when an ecosystem really starts to grow.”
A Celebration of Culture, Craft and Collaboration
Beyond the runway and market, Interwoven will transform Pendleton into a living canvas.
The three-day event includes pop-up culinary experiences, panel discussions, art installations and one especially memorable runway show—where equine models will walk alongside riders in a fashion presentation that celebrates craftsmanship both on and off the saddle.
For a town long known for its rodeo, wool mills and Western heritage, the event represents something new: a chance to showcase the creative energy already thriving in Pendleton.
“This is a brand-new event,” Wallis said. “But it’s nothing new to us. It’s just a new way of showing what’s already here.”
Learn more about the three-day event at interwovenoregon.com. Plan your trip at travelpendleton.com.