An Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Look At Our Custom Gold Label Collab With Rapper Stella Standingbear

A Unique Partnership

At Eighth Generation, we pride ourselves on supporting and collaborating with Indigenous artists across a range of mediums. From fashion designers to weavers and painters, we work with artists from all specialties, backgrounds, and walks of life. With this in mind, we're overjoyed and excited to announce our latest collaboration: an exclusive one-of-a-kind Gold Label Cape for musician Stella Standingbear (Oglala Lakota Nation). 

The Iconic Stella Standingbear

Portraits of Stella Standingbear by Nii Okaidja Media.

Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, and currently living on her reservation in South Dakota, contemporary Indigenous hip-hop artist, Stella Standingbear (Oglala Lakota Nation), has set fire to the music scene. She is not only a two-time NAMMY (Native American Music Award) winner, but Stella is also the first Lakota artist to win two historic awards at the Indigenous Hip Hop Awards for 2023 Best Female Hip-Hop Artist and Best Music Video[i]. She's also been featured in Teen Vogue, Revolt TV, MTV, radio, Hot97, Dazed, and Indigenous Music Countdown on SiriusXM. Stella's music is more than a good beat with lyrics; her songs often bring attention to Indigenous topics like Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives or life on the reservation. She takes her platform even further by mentoring aspiring artists at the Oglala Lakota Artspace Community Creative Hub. Her success and accomplishments are more than awe-inspiring, they are life-changing, showing Native youth across the county and beyond, that no dream is too big. 

“Music is medicine. I use music to process what I’m going through in life; it’s kind of like my public diary. It’s also a powerful tool to spread awareness about both the good and the challenging issues going on in the Indigenous community,” Stella shares[ii].

As a brand, Eighth Generation supports artists from all creative backgrounds and a collaboration with Stella is a great way to highlight her not only as a musician, but for the work she does in our community. So, when our Creative Director and Chief Product Officer, Michelle Brown (Diné), learned that Stella was going on her "Off the Rez" Tour with a show in our brand’s hometown of Seattle, she knew she needed to get in touch with Stella's manager—Stephany Marie—to create a custom stage piece for her tour. After some exciting discussions, it was determined that we would collaborate on a custom textile for Stella as a surprise gift to her. Michelle knew a cape would be the ultimate stage piece on tour and once approved, our Gold Label team began designing, crafting, and knitting the perfect stage garment for Stella.

Where Sustainability Meets Art And Music

Meet our raw materials.

With Michelle at the forefront, our Gold Label team consists of two other specialists who physically produce and package our Gold Label Textiles from start to finish, right here in our Seattle studio. Our Gold Label Collection is of highest quality, woven only from 100% Italian Merino wool on state-of-the-art digital knitting machines. Our machines are more than efficient, they're sustainable, producing minimal waste no larger than what can fit in your hand. 

Wool is breathable, durable, antibacterial, and has natural moisture-wicking properties. Even better, wool biodegrades in a shorter amount of time than other materials like polyester. From start to finish, our production team weaves tradition, story, and beauty into every Gold Label product. We use our own Indigenous and ecological knowledge to care for our wool in all steps of the production process. Cedar blocks and lavender plants are used in our studio as a natural deterrent to moths in lieu of the harsh chemicals typically used for pest control. These natural methods eliminate the potential harm to moths, our wool, and you.

Inspired by the black and red colors of Stella's tour poster and her signature bear paw star emblem, Michelle sketched a one-of-a-kind cape perfect for the stage. Once Michelle's final artwork was approved, our Gold Label team member, Austin, began editing and redefining the design details of the cape so that it could be translated into code for our knitting machines.  

After a few samples, shrink testing, and adjustments, our team assessed how much raw material was needed for Stella's cape and began working on the final dimensions of the garment. At the heart of our design, Stella's signature bear paw star swipes over her name, while the bottom of the cape is lined with her iconic bear paw star. The hood features two bear ears with Stella's emblem on each, and the ribbon to tie the cape is adorned with real bear claws. The claws were sourced from a company that collects from animals who have been accidentally killed by cars, giving their death meaning and providing people a more sustainable way to get items for spiritual and ceremonial purposes. 

Even cooler, the cape is knitted with a double jersey jacquard, meaning that the inside of the garment has the inverse of the colors on the outside.

Don't forget to follow Stella Standingbear on Instagram!

Gifting Stella Her Surprise Cape

The whole process, from sketching to the production of the final garment, took about five weeks to complete. On April 3, 2026, we met with Stella at our studio and surprised her with her new cape. She loved it so much that she wore it on stage for her Seattle show! This collaboration is more than about uplifting Stella and Eighth Generation, it's about the intersection of design, music, and two creatives, which are both women-led, coming together to show up for one another.

Eighth Generation is passionate about our Native youth, culture, art, and music and Stella stands as a symbol for our youth to reach for the stars. Not many brands reach out to style Indigenous women artists and it is our responsibility as an Indigenous-owned brand to support and uplift the generations that come before and after us. We are proud to show up for other types of artists and to set good examples for our youth. We are unbelievably honored to have worked on this project with Stella Standingbear to platform Indigeneity in all of its beauty.  

Check out our other Gold Label Textiles on our website and learn more about Stella here!