Select Urban Native Era Hats Now at REI
By Ishmael Alikhan Elias
Urban Native Era founder and CEO Joey Montoya (Lipan Apache) had no inkling in 2012 his brand would evolve from a Facebook account that amplified Indigenous issues to an internationally recognizable clothing brand with the same core mission. The brand starts the new year in collaboration with outdoor and fitness retailer REI to feature select Urban Native Era ‘YOU ARE ON NATIVE LAND’ headwear in forty stores across the country, including 17 in California.
Montoya said in an Indian Country Today interview last Monday that he was not shocked REI reached out to his company regarding the ‘YOU ARE ON NATIVE LAND’ design because it’s such a strong statement and Urban Native Era’s most popular line. “I think it’s really huge for a big brand, a big retail store like REI to be able to carry that and share that message.”
Montoya said the phrase has been known in the Native community for some time, but the design was recently created in response to peoples’ lack of awareness that they are on Native land and that Native people still exist. “I wanted to figure out a way how to do that and how to share that with a simple phrase, but through clothing and through design. So, we created that in 2018 and originally it was paired with highlighting the Bay Area and the Indigenous people from there, the Ohlone people, but slowly it’s expanded and people really took on to it. Recently we were able to get our product onto Reservation Dogs, so it’s pretty neat how far that phrase has come and how many people understand it and get it and want to share that message.”
Montoya said he named the brand “Urban Native Era” due to the current era of visibility for Native people, but stressed the clothing is designed for wear by Native and non-Native people alike.
Aside from REI, Montoya said in an e-mail statement Urban Native Era products are also available at the recently-opened First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, the Autry Museum in Los Angeles, and other small businesses across the country. He added, “Although we do enjoy being able to support small businesses or Indigenous businesses through wholesale, our main focus will be our online retail, which will be a place where our customers will always be able to get new and limited items.”
When asked if other outerwear items, such as jackets, are in the pipeline, Montoya responded affirmatively. “As we come closer to our 10 years in 2023, we will be developing many limited collections and collaborations that will feature more detailed and elevated items.”
For a list of REI stores carrying UNE products, see the graphic below or visit:
https://urbannativeera.com/blogs/the-insight/rei
