Apache Chronicle

(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:

Heard Indian Market 2011 - Doug Miles & Susan Folwell

Blood & Dirt
Check out this cool Heard Market collaboration -

Santa Clara potter Susan Folwell and Apache/Akimel O’odham artist Douglas Miles (of Apache Skateboards) teamed up to create some truly unique collaborative work that experimentally combines street art with traditional Pueblo pottery.

Dubbed Blood and Dirt, the collab features Miles' signature aerosol artwork on Folwell's native clay pottery and further pushes the boundaries of contemporary Native American art. The result is gritty, graphic, and beautiful.

(Folwell and Miles' Stiletto)

(Folwell and Miles' Stiletto)

(Folwell and Miles' She Is Not You)

(Folwell's booth space at the Heard)

(Folwell and Miles' Blood n Dirt)

Click here to read more about the collaboration.

Heard Indian Market 2011 - Indian Ink II

Indian Ink II

Thomas "Breeze" Marcus and Douglas Miles opened their co-curated show, Indian Ink II, during the Heard Indian Market weekend.

Indian Ink II was held at Pravus Gallery in downtown Phoenix and highlighted a number of emerging Native artists whose works "push out and ascend above the boundaries of stereotypical, traditional, and 'contemporary' Native American art." Almost every piece included in the show stuck with the black-and-white graphic palette, but there were a few well-placed punches of color (in particular, Melissa Cody's awesome Navajo weavings).

The opening reception featured a live collaborative mural installation by Marcus, Miles, and Lalo Cota. The opening was also catered by chef Mario (didn't catch his last name) who made gourmet Indian tacos and other delicious eats.

This post isn't directly related to fashion, but many of the Indian Ink artists collaborate to create Native streetwear, so they're definitely on my radar:


(Textiles by Melissa Cody)


(Art by Rebekah Miles)

(Mural in progress)


(Doug Miles)


(Rattles by Thomas Marcus)


(Razelle Benally and Thomas Marcus streaming live, and shot by Karl Duncan)


(Melissa Cody)


(Micah Wesley)


(Lalo Cota)


(Yatika Fields)

Apache Skateboards Teams Up With Volcom

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



Check out more about Apache Skateboards on their website or on MySpace or Facebook.

Native Lo_Fashion

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.