World-renowned fashion and textile designer Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo) is the CEO of PMWATERLILY DESIGNS. A graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Patricia honed her craft apprenticing with a tailor in Italy. Her acclaimed costume designs have graced the stages of the Santa Fe Opera and the Kennedy Center with the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company.

A celebrated cultural figure, her accolades include the Smithsonian's NMAI Arts and Design Award, the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, and the New Mexico Museums' Living Treasures Award. She is also a fierce activist, supporting Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR), Community Against Violence, and cultural preservation.

First rising to national prominence as the first runner-up on Project Runway Season 11 (and later returning for All Stars), Patricia’s haute couture has since been showcased at New York Fashion Week, the Santa Fe Indian Market, and global runways from Johannesburg to Geneva. Her work is regularly featured in Vogue, WWD, and The New York Times.

Most recently, Patricia made waves at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, dressing actress Tantoo Cardinal for the premiere of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon in a magnificent custom gown featuring her signature eagle feather design.