Following the success of three collections with Diné (Navajo) weaver Naiomi Glass, Ralph Lauren announced the continuation of its artist-in-residence program for cultural collaborations.
The American fashion leader has tapped Diné (Navajo) artist Zephren M to partner on a double RL brand capsule line inspired by vintage and workwear.
Zefren-M is an interdisciplinary artist, historian, and LGBTQIA+ advocate whose work fuses traditional and modern techniques. Raised in the Dineta (Navajo Nation), they first learned traditional sewing, weaving, and sheep raising from their grandmothers, and furthered their experience through Diné University’s Navajo Cultural Arts Program. They have received numerous awards for their work, including awards at the Heard Museum Best of Show, Navajo Nation Fair, Gallup Intertribal Indian Ceremony, and Santa Fe Indian Market.
“Looking to the past has always been a deep source of inspiration for me, and something I communicate through my art and personal style,” Zephren M. said in a statement. “Working with the Double RL team, we were able to create a unique expression of our shared love of tradition and heritage while honoring the Navajo story.”
The Artist in Residence program, which debuted in December 2023 with the Polo Ralph Lauren This is part of our efforts.
Introduced with Double RL’s Fall/Holiday assortment, the Double RL x Zefren-M capsule includes work shirts and hand-knitted shawl cardigans, soft accessories and floor rugs in a color palette that reflects the Navajo landscape . The repeating patterns are reminiscent of those woven by Zephren M. and his great-grandmother in the past, and reference the cycles of life depicted in many Navajo art forms. Zeffren-M, a student of traditional silversmithing, designed a collection of embossed conchos featuring various Spider-Woman motifs in honor of the founder and teacher of the Navajo weaving tradition. I did.
“They do a lot of great traditional weaves, but they also explore traditional menswear patterns like herringbone, chevron, and houndstooth, which have deep ties to traditional menswear, but they also looms,” says Sasha Kelly, head of design at Ralph Lauren. The similarities between Zefren-M’s work and Double RL’s traditional expressions.
This collaboration supports organizations serving Native communities within the Navajo Nation, with a portion of the purchase price from sales going to Native youth preserving heritage and crafts and pursuing careers in the arts. The donation will go to the Lyndon Foundation, which works to provide opportunities. Founder Lyndon Tsosie (Dine/Navajo) is a master silversmith and former teacher of Zephren M. As part of the collaboration, a select selection of Tsosie’s handcrafted silver and turquoise pieces will be available for purchase at the Double RL flagship store on West Broadway in New York City, where the collection launch event will be held.
A short film about the life, art and inspiration of Zephren M., filmed on the Navajo Nation in Four Corners, New Mexico, will premiere on YouTube on Tuesday. This story continues at Zefren-M’s personal studio, Double RL showrooms, and on select Ralph Lauren and Double RL channels as part of Double RL’s Fall/Holiday 2024 campaign.
The Double RL x Zefren-M capsule will be available at select Ralph Lauren and Double RL stores in North America, Europe and Asia starting November 7th and 8th. From November 14th, it will also be available for purchase on Ralph Lauren’s website and app, and from November 18th on Ralph Lauren’s e-commerce domains in China and Japan.
Reaction to the artist-in-residence collection has been positive, Kelly said. “We’re getting a lot of interest from people who have actually applied and contacted us directly through our website or in the spaces that we’re participating in,” said Ralph Museum of Art, a traditional art exhibit hosted by the Ralph Museum of Art. and craft fairs and contests, she said. The Lauren team participates throughout the year. “I think people really appreciated seeing the larger external Native creative partnerships that we had throughout the program. So whether it was through hair and makeup or through the production crew or film crew, Maybe you heard about it,” she said of the campaign Glass created with Native cast and crew.
Kelly said the artist-in-residence program currently focuses on Indigenous peoples and Indigenous stories, but could expand in the future. “We have global goals. We want to make sure we pace ourselves so that we can really honor these stories and give them the justice they deserve. ”
