Dallas' Natanya Friedka Debuts Retro-Inspired, Forward-Thinking Fashion

It’s no secret that the modern fashion industry is one of the world’s biggest offenders in terms of negative environmental impact. From trendy impulse buys that throw off microplastics in the wash, to the thousands of liters of water required to make a pair of jeans, to the overworked and underpaid folks who sit behind the sewing machines for fast fashion, there’s a lot to feel guilty about when we get dressed in the morning.

Nancie Schwartz is out to change that. The Dallas designer wants fashion to meet function and trim the waste in the process. And she’s doing it one retro-inspired frock at a time.

Schwartz comes by her unique combination of skill and social consciousness honestly. Born and raised in Detroit, surrounded by family who worked in the linen and auto industries, she experienced firsthand the myriad repercussions of overseas outsourcing on businesses and communities. Fast forward to her post-grad life, and the budding young designer headed out of Michigan and straight for the glamorous epicenter of fashion: New York City.

Over the course of the next 25 years, Schwartz honed her expert-level skills designing looks to line the shelves of retailers from Walmart to Bloomingdale’s.

Throughout her career, though, she once again witnessed the widespread impact of the rapidly evolving global supply chain. As her designs for these big-name companies were increasingly manufactured in China, Bangladesh and India, she began to question carbon consumption, material sourcing and labor conditions, among other far-reaching consequences. 
“In New York, in the garment center, pretty much all the production, every place I worked, everything was made overseas,” she recalls. “There's definitely upsides to it, but there's also a lot of downsides.”

And so, when life presented the opportunity to relocate to Big D in 2024, Schwartz and her husband made the leap. She also took the opportunity to launch her own forward-thinking fashion label, Natanya Friedka.

Named for the designer’s first and middle names in Hebrew, the ethos of the brand is equally personal.

“Less than 3% of apparel is made in the U.S., and less than 12% of brands are female-owned,” she says. “We proudly do both.”

In addition to these foundational tenets, her first capsule collection is expertly crafted from premium, consciously sourced fabrics. And the look? Think ultra-femme, vintage-inspired silhouettes channeled through a Palm Springs palette.  “I put together this small line that I'm very excited about,” she says of Natanya Friedka’s five-look debut. “I felt it was a little bit different than a lot of what you see out there, and it's very intentionally and thoughtfully made."

For example, Schwartz’s Sutton dress, available in soft orchid or peach, features an environmentally virtuous poplin fabric made from recycled bottles — you’d never know it from the luxurious feel, though. Her Nicole two-piece set employs a 3D jacquard fabric and strappy halter details to evoke equal parts mid-century charm and modern sex appeal. The signs of fine craftsmanship, such as impeccable tailoring, silk linings and high-end hardware help each piece earn its place in a stylish, well-edited Dallas wardrobe.

Coming up for the new-to-Dallas designer, a Natanya Friedka holiday collection is slated for later this year or early 2026. Shop the current capsule while it lasts here.