Ralph Lauren is moving from inspiration to collaboration when it comes to communities and craft that inspire them — and Naiomi Glasses is up first.
The Diné (Navajo) textile artist and weaver is the first in Ralph Lauren’s artist in residence program, and her cocreated collection for Polo Ralph Lauren, out Tuesday, calls on seven generations of Navajo weaving tradition. Several of the designs in the 32-piece first drop are drawn directly from Glasses’ weavings. It has been, she told WWD, “so beautiful seeing that translated into something wearable.”
In explaining the company’s decision to begin this program with Glasses, David Lauren, the company’s chief branding and innovation officer, said, “Naiomi has an innovative and youthful take on traditional art and style, which is evident both in her work and through her own personal style that is so cool and uniquely her own. We loved that she celebrated her culture in a way that honored the past while putting her own mark on it.”
Knits are a heavy focus, cozy neutrals are the color palette and bodies are contemporary — there are sweaters, knit dresses, western shirts with turquoise buttons, jackets and jeans in men’s, women’s and ungendered styles — despite their traditional designs and inspiration. Four-directional crosses play out in pieces across the collection.
“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,” Ralph Lauren, executive chairman and chief creative officer of Ralph Lauren Corp., said in a statement.
Many of the designs now associated with Navajo weaving, Glasses explained, are trading post styles from the late 1800s and early 1900s that traders would have wanted Navajo weavers to create based off of things like Persian rugs. But her designs predate that to focus on original Navajo designs, many of which have dwindled over the years.
“My brother and I are among a few young weavers who are bringing that style back,” said Glasses, whose first foray into fashion was as an intern with Gabriela Hearst, where some of the pieces she designed debuted at New York Fashion Week. “What we as Diné used to weave back before the trading posts came in and influenced our way of weaving [were] a lot of motifs like four-directional crosses and Spider Woman crosses. For me, the four-directional cross is representative of the four directions and how in Navajo culture we hold four as a sacred number.”
One motif that plays out on the sleeve of a zip-front sweater in cream and marled brown is that of the Spider Woman, which appears as a cross with two squares on each of the four arms. “Spider Woman,” Glasses explained, “is a Navajo deity who, in our creation stories, taught Navajo how to weave, so [it’s] paying homage.”
On Ralph Lauren’s side, the artist in residence program is about paying homage to cultures and artistry that paint a more complete and inclusive picture of the American experience. It’s also about paying real money into the communities — a percentage of proceeds from the first drop of the Polo Ralph Lauren x Naiomi Glasses collection will benefit Native-led Change Labs, which focuses on creating and supporting Navajo and Hopi small businesses.
More broadly, Ralph Lauren has built what it calls its Design With Intent department of experts focused on authentic collaboration. “This department is leading us in establishing not only programs like artist in residence, but also in looking at other methods through which we can collaborate with and credit artisans in a way that benefits both artists and their communities,” David Lauren said. “How we do this could include means like licensing, co-branded capsules, manufacturing partnerships, and collaboration on campaigns.”
The campaign for the collection was shot in Navajo Nation by a Native crew — Ryan RedCorn (Osage), Daryn Sells (Diné/Navajo) and Lonnie Begaye (Diné/Navajo) — and features Glasses’ family, friends and community.
The collection is available globally now on ralphlauren.com and in select stores across the U.S., Europe and Asia. The second drop of the collection will roll out in spring 2024, with a third drop following next fall. A collection of turquoise and silver jewelry curated by Glasses, handcrafted by six artisan families from Navajo Nation, Hopi Pueblo, San Felipe Pueblo and Zuni Pueblo, appears in the campaign and will be available for purchase online and in select flagships, including on Prince Street in New York City and in Aspen.
While Glasses is the company’s first artist for this program and pieces cocreated with her will role out over a year, Ralph Lauren said the program is ongoing and another artist will be revealed soon. Each collaboration will look different based on the artist and the business needs, and learnings from this initial go-around will be applied going forward.
Though fashion has tread tricky waters with cultural appropriation — both by businesses and individual wearers — Glasses said this collab, created authentically with Ralph Lauren, is for all.
“Seeing all these companies come in to collaborate with the people that originate the design is so much better because it shows that they genuinely appreciate the culture and that the person behind the design is being celebrated,” she said. “This entire collection is for everyone. I would love to see it all across the world and I want to see how each and every person brings their flavor of style to each piece.”
