Diné weaver Naiomi Glasses shines a light on traditional Navajo designs through her Ralph Lauren collaboration.
Seventh-generation Diné weaver Naomi Glasses has released her second of three seasonal product launches with American fashion designer Ralph Lauren.
The Polo Ralph Lauren x Naiomi Glasses collaboration celebrates Navajo traditional designs through Naiomi Glasses’ artistry with a contemporary twist.
Designer Naiomi Glasses wearing her collaboration collection with Polo Ralph Lauren.
Known for her traditional weaving and forward-thinking fashion, Glasses, 26, makesoriginal handmade rugs and purses on the Navajo Nation. She was selected for the Ralph Lauren Artist in Residence Program and is the first to launch a collaboration with the company.
The Artist in Residence Program is an opportunity for artists to collaborate with the Ralph Lauren creative team and have an opportunity to become immersed in the process of creating a clothing line while still being true to their own art and heritage.
The first collection dropped in December 2023 and told the story of Glasses’ weaving journey, she said in a docuseries. The featured design was made with natural colors that reflect the land of the Navajo Nation, including different shades of brown, white, and black.
Quannah Chasinghorse and Philip Bread were among the models chosen to showcase Naiomi Glasses’ work.
The second drop released in March of this year and is bold in color. It was a chance for Glasses to use bright colors to show how her weaving has progressed, she said in another docuseries, adding that this collection also celebrates skateboarding.
Glasses can be seen on social media skateboarding the red rocks of the Navajo Nation in a traditional Navajo outfit including a three-tiered skirt.
Designer Naiomi Glasses skateboarding in the Color in Motion collection.
“Navajo weaving is a craft that has carried on through my family for seven generations, and preserving these traditions in new ways has been so inspiring to me as an artist. To now be able to share it with people around the world, as seen through my eyes and brought to life in clothing, is a dream come true,” said Glasses. “It is only through the power of collaboration and Ralph Lauren’s unique program that this collection was made possible, and the best part is that it brings traditional Navajo weaving to a new generation.”
Along with well-known Native models and artists, Naiomi Glasses’ mother, father, and brother Tyler were also showcased in the photoshoot.
The third drop is scheduled for the fall.
“Heritage and tradition are at the center of everything I love — things that encompass both beauty and utility, that are uncontrived and personal and are passed down for generations,” said Ralph Lauren, executive chairman and chief creative officer of Ralph Lauren Corporation. “Bringing the most authentic expression of heritage craft to life means working with those who have created and sustained these timeless traditions for centuries and sharing their stories with the world. That is the opportunity that awaits us — and that will be a valued part of the legacy of our company.”
Photographed by Ryan RedCorn and Daryn Sells, the Naiomi Glasses x Ralph Lauren collection photoshoot included Indigenous movers and shakers such as Quannah Chasinghorse (Hän Gwich’in/Oglala Lakota), Prey producer Jhane Myers (Comanche/Blackfeet), Myers’ son Phillip Bread (Comanche/Kiowa), Here’s to You creative director Hud Oberly (Osage), and more.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy Ryan RedCorn/Ralph Lauren
