THERE’S NO SHORTAGE of color and flare in Taos-based Dante Biss-Grayson’s latest collection: Sky-Eagle Mens Ranch Wear. The Osage designer’s Ace High II Western-cut shirts are designed with pearl snaps gleaming up the front, along the cuffs, and on the breast pockets in eye-catching coppery-brown, turquoise-blue, and cherry-red materials. Using color blocking to modernize the designs, each shirt incorporates the white outlines of geometric patterns inspired by traditional Southern Plains straight dance ribbonwork patterns, which Biss-Grayson uses in many of his collections. “I feel like this is just the beginning,” he says. “I have so many designs. It’s just how my art mind works. I see [clothing] as a blank canvas.”
Through the Sky-Eagle collection, Biss-Grayson intertwines heritage with innovation, redefining Western fashion through a Native lens. But his story is not just about clothing; it’s a narrative of cultural pride, sustainability, and a vision for a more inclusive fashion industry.
Sullivan (@amayasullivan), Edwin Felter (@edmiyster), and Yaya (@yaya.mar) show off Sky-Eagle designs.
Biss-Grayson’s passion for design began at an early age. His mother, Gina Gray, and adopted father, artist Earl Biss, exposed him to the vibrant Santa Fe and Aspen art scenes of the 1970s, when Native American fine artists like Tony Abeyta and Allan Houser were gaining recognition. These influences ignited his passion for visual expression, leading him to study painting in Europe. His formative years at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, in Amsterdam, and later at Saint Louis University, in Madrid, Spain, shaped his eclectic style. “I appreciate classical theater and how, in the Renaissance, they would paint on clothing,” he says.
After 9/11, Biss-Grayson put his artistic pursuits on hold and enlisted in the Air Force. He ultimately spent more than 3,000 days in the Middle East on active duty and then as a Department of Defense contractor. When he came home for good, he turned to his art to help cope with PTSD.
In 2018, his daughter, Ella, was born and he started learning more about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples epidemic. “Being a first son and a warrior, I was like, Okay, how do we advocate for this so we can inspire some action,” Biss-Grayson says of Sky-Eagle’s genesis. Incorporating the red handprint that represents the movement into some of his clothing was one way that he used his designs to bring awareness. He also donates to many causes supporting Indigenous women.
Designer Dante Biss-Grayson.
Biss-Grayson’s recent ventures into cowboy aesthetics with the Sky-Eagle Ranch Wear collection is inspired by his time spent in Oklahoma, the Navajo Nation, and the Southwest, where rodeo and ranch life are prevalent. “There’s really some flashy kind of fashion happening at these rodeos,” he says. “It’s a whole vibe. I wanted to see if I could test myself and try something different.”
Looking ahead, the designer envisions expanding his influence as a global brand, advocating for broader recognition and appreciation of Indigenous artistry in fashion.
“I’ve had pieces that have been on red carpets, at the Oscars, and at New York Fashion Week,” Biss-Grayson says. “It’s a matter of reminding everybody we’re still here and that we can succeed.”
Read more: These designers are ushering Western wear and Native designs into a new era.
