Polo Ralph Lauren and Navajo Artist Naiomi Glasses Collaboration Is a ‘Denim Daydream’
Ralph Lauren and Naiomi Glasses got a jump on Santa Fe Indian Market Thursday night, celebrating the latest drop in their Artist in Residence collaboration with a meet-and-greet with the Diné (Navajo) weaver at Malouf’s store on the Plaza.
More than 100 Southwestern-chic fashion enthusiasts came through to see and shop the “Denim Daydream” collection that also dropped Thursday on the Ralph Lauren website.
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The men’s and women’s collection was inspired by Glasses’ love for rodeo culture, and its connection to
the Navajo lifestyle, which is reflected across a range of denim and indigo-hued styles that also happen to be very Ralph Lauren.
A silk western shirt with pearl snaps, calico broomstick skirt and matching shirt, suede “trophy” jacket, and blanket coat nod to the signature attire of Navajo rodeo contestants and the color of Dinétah (Navajo Nation) skies, as well as to Glasses’ ranching roots in Arizona. There’s also an embroidered clog, an embroidered jean, baseball cap and fringe saddle blanket. Prices range from $168 to $1,298.
This is the third and final collection in the collaboration. The first, Love of the Land, launched in December 2023 and the second, Color in Motion, launched in March 2024.
Glasses, an avid turquoise and silver collector, curated a selection of jewelry from several artisan families throughout Navajo Nation, Hopi Pueblo, San Felipe Pueblo and Zuni Pueblo, which are seen in the campaign and available to purchase at select stores and online.
At the event, she was wearing a silver and turquoise necklace, belt and ornaments dotting her braided hair, along with the collection’s dreamy blue velvet blouse with concho buttons, and a printed full skirt.
“I’m so glad I get to share it with the world now,” she said of the latest drop. “I went through this blue weaving thing, so when I was designing this I was going after the indigos….I love the different blues and variations you can get,” she said, pointing to a saturated-blue cotton sweater with Navajo four-directional crosses and wedge weave motifs.
Glasses is featured in the Santa Fe New Mexican Legacy magazine being distributed at the 102nd Indian Market, which is the largest and most prestigious native art market in the world, featuring the work of more than 800 juried artists, representing 250 Nations. And some people in the crowd at Malouf’s were such fans they asked her to autograph their copies.
As part of this collaboration, a percentage of the purchase price from sales benefits Creative Futures Collective, an organization working to empower creatives from disenfranchised and underrepresented communities. The organization introduced Glasses to the Ralph Lauren team.
The Artist in Residence project is part of Ralph Lauren’s path to shift from inspiration to collaboration with communities that have historically inspired his designs, and is spearheaded by the brand’s Design With Intent team, which was present at the event.
This year’s Santa Fe Indian Market also features the Indigenous Futures 4Ever in Fashion Summit and Fashion Show being organized by 4Kinship founder and designer Amy Denet Deal and Shopify, and the Southwest Association of Indian Arts group fashion show founded and directed by Amber-Dawn Bear Robe.
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