(Lynnette Haozous as Lozen in: "Apache Chronicle")
Need some mid-week badass inspiration? Check out this upcoming experimental documentary about the life and art of five strong Native women, who are also talented artists and skateboarders affiliated with Apache Skateboards. Starring Melissa Cody, Razelle Benally, Rebekah Miles, Lynnette Haozous, and Tasha Hastings, this doc is produced and directed By Nanna Dalunde in collaboration with Douglas Miles of Apache Skateboards. Here's the trailer:
Recently, fifteen Native fashion designers came together for a fashion show at the Heard Museum in downtown Phoenix in support of the Mesa Community Colleges Hoop of Learning Program.
The program is one of six bridge programs within Maricopa Community College District that offers Native high school students the opportunity to begin their career journey while in high school. Students can earn college and high school credit concurrently all while participating in a program whose goal is to increase academic achievements and prepare students for a successful transition into a post secondary setting.
Jackson Harris, the Program Coordinator, organized the event, bringing designers together from throughout the southwest to showcase their garments and give Hoop of Learning students a glimpse of the fashion industry.
Harris explained, "This is a perfect chance for some of my students to look around and see what is being offered to them. Some of the students may want to become a designer, a photographer or event planner in the future."
The theme of the show was "Ancestral Treasures Expressed Through Fashion."
Most of the designers incorporated a pop/modern twist to their collections. RVSO DSGN, Apache Skateboards, Martini Couture, UN3EK SY5TEM, and Nizhoni Apparel (see video below) were all on the roster.
Doug Miles and Apache Skateboards produce some of the freshest of the fresh when it comes to Native streetwear. Apache Skateboards’ latest collaboration is with Volcom to create a new line of clothing for the Fall 2010 Stone-Age Collection.
Colin Provost, Aaron Suski, and Felipe Ortiz trekked out to "Hell's 40 Acres" – a.k.a the San Carlos Apache reservation to shoot photographs for the fall catalogue. Check out these two videos (one released by Volcom, the other was shot and edited by Razelle Benally) for an exciting sneak peek of the collection. Watch here:
Video Shot and Edited by Razelle Benally. Copyright 2009 Red Brigade Films.
Inspired by and designed for skateboarding. Volcom Stone-Age products are only available at select locations. Volcom.com/Stoneage
When I told my friend Doug Miles of Apache Skateboards that I was writing my dissertation on Native high fashion, he told me -> don't forget about Native American low fashion.
DM: "Let's just say that 'fashion,' though a wonderful field can and must encompass many things besides high couture items. Today it must also include what I call 'lo_fashion'."
Indeed to fully investigate the world of Native fashion - we must include high fashion, streetwear, and even powwow attire. While my research focuses on the 'couture' side of things, I can't, nor do I want to, dismiss the exciting work happening in Native streetwear. Several underground Native-owned and operated shirt companies have emerged in the past decade, splattering the epitomous American t-shirt with imagery of historical Native American heros, comtemporary political messages, old tribal design motifs, and words in Native languages.
Apache Skateboards has recently collaborated with the eco-conscious C-Pas - the latest of his many collaborations with skate companies. One of his shirts in this collection features the image of a Apache kid – a real person who was both a hero and an outlaw. “He was never caught but lived the remainder of his life in Arizona and New Mexico as a fugitive and ‘wanted man.’ There was a bounty on his head.”
Another shirt features geometric designs influenced by traditional Apache symbols and culture – black triangles represent mountains and earth, lightning bolts represent power, and the circle represents life in completion. The shirts can be purchased here.
Miles' collaborations demonstrate a way for Native artists to get the image of Native people out there in the world - from the Native perspective. Indigenous aesthetics have much to offer the world of fashion, but they need to be presented with respect to the cultures. The current Tribal Trend in fashion offers an exciting opportunity for Native artists and designers to reach broader audiences, however, this trend also threatens to merely replicate old stereotypical tropes and call it done. I'm hopeful that consumers are atleast somewhat cognizant of this situation, and will seek out forms other than the stereotypical ones - especially now since artists/designers like Doug Miles are making it easier for consumers to access new options.
Miles' work is also currently on display (thru Feb 13) at the Chelsea Art Museum in NYC.
