The Killers of the Flower Moon Cast Spotlighted Indigenous Design at Cannes

It all began on Saturday at the film’s world premiere. Gladstone, whose performance in the film has been widely praised, took to the red carpet in a floral-print Valentino gown, which she punctuated with a pair of dentalium shell earrings from Luiseño and Shoshone-Bannock designer Jamie Okuma, finished with antique glass seed beads, diamond beads, gold, and brain-tanned deer hide (the artist, who hails from the La Jolla Indian Reservation in California, recently became a CFDA member). “I’m so incredibly honored she chose to wear [my earrings] for such a significantly important day for her,” Okuma tells Vogue. “She was able to have that little bit of home, culturally speaking, walk her down the red carpet.” 

Gladstone has continued to wear jewelry by Native designers. For the film’s after-party on Saturday, the actor wore a classic black gown with a copper cuff, earrings, and neck plate by Tlingit artist Jennifer Younger. For the film’s photo call on Sunday, Gladstone wore a black caped Chanel ensemble, and again accessorized with Indigenous jewels—this time, a pair of beaded and dentalium earrings by Shelby LeeAnn Gorman. For many of these spotlighted designers, it’s been completely surreal to see their work on an international stage like Cannes. “This has been my dream, to see Tlingit formline design shared on a large platform like this,” Younger tells Vogue. “I hope more people are drawn in to Northwest Coast art when they see my pieces, and they find that the art form is thriving with many amazing Indigenous artists.”