Since fashion is ever evolving, Lea McCormick — an emerging, if accidental, handbag designer based in Claremore — is continuing to evolve, too.
A multitalented Muscogee Nation citizen, McCormick, who considers herself primarily an actor, traveled to the Big Apple this week to show her distinctive handbags in her third New York Fashion Week outing.
For the second straight year, McCormick, who taps into her Muscogee heritage when creating her handcrafted handbags, is a featured designer for the Rise NYFW showcase that’s spotlighting emerging designers of color.
For her Feb. 9 show, she wanted to show off her evolution as a designer, as well as even more stylish aspects of Native American cultures. So, she took along this year two fellow Oklahoma Indigenous designers, who have spent the past few months helping her devise and create a dozen full outfits, with her signature handbags to match.
“Being an actor is my priority, but lifting others up is important to me as well. … So, I’m taking 12 Native models from Oklahoma, too,” she told The Oklahoman by phone before traveling to New York City.