Interview with Sho Sho Esquiro in Swagg News

EXCLUSIVE “SHO SHO ESQUIRO” INTERVIEW with Swagg News

SN: Tell us a little bit about the origin of Sho Sho Esquiro.

Sho Sho Esquiro: The name itself has always been a nick name for me, people always call me Sho Sho and Esquiro is my last name so its pretty much me. Im From the Yukon Territory and my native nation is Kaska Dene and Cree.

SN: Where did you get your Swagg from? was fashion always a passion or was there something that inspired you along the way?

Sho Sho Esquiro: Basically it was always a passion of mine, my grandma was always into fashion and mom is an artist, my grandpa and dad are both business entrepreneurs. With my grandpa when I was a kid if I wanted to have a lemonade stand id have to have a business plan, haha Now, my combined love of art, fashion, fabric, color, my heritage and hip hop that is what inspires me that’s what Sho Sho Esquiro is.

SN: To give the readers a better feel for your line If you had to compare what clothing line would you compare Sho Sho Esquiro to, whether it be the prestige or the Swagg?

Sho Sho Esquiro: I would say that i’m doing my own thing, I get inspired by Hip-Hop,Urban culture, color, fabric and recycled things. I like to use colors and patterns that people wouldn’t really think to put together.

SN: What are your plans for the Line? Do you plan on keeping it more custom made, or is there retail in the future?

Sho Sho Esquiro: Some of my hand painted stuff is already retail! But I would compare it to when you find a bananas underground mixtape, like a diamond in the rough. So I like to keep it custom, I use a lot of recycled leather and fur and environmentally safe materials like hemp and bamboo. And I like the fact that If you buy one of my hoodies your never in your life gonna see it again, its wasn’t made in no sweat shop. I like to keep my pieces original. A lot of my clothing will have similar fabric but I always use the fabric differently and team it up with different textures and colors so I never create the same piece twice.


SN: What sets Sho Sho Esquiro aside from other native inspired lines?

Sho Sho Esquiro: Right now there is a lot of really talented native designers out, I’m excited to be part of a society called “Bee the Change Arts Society” we support young women at risk in the community, and positive change. I also work with Pendelton which is an American Indian trading blanket, they have been around for over a 100 years. But I would say Sho Sho Esquiro Clothing is more of a hip hop feel, and mine is custom. When I paint, I paint well known indian chiefs and pay homage to our heritage and wear it with pride.

SN: Who can wear Sho Sho Esquiro? is there an ideal target?

Sho Sho Esquiro: Anybody can wear it, if you want to stand out and have individual style. I love to see Hip-Hop artists in my stuff. I love to see environmentally, and socially conscious people rock my stuff young and old.

SN: The custom hoodies are definitely NECK UP, where can people who are not in Vancouver Canada check out these hoodies and more importantly how can they order them?

Sho Sho Esquiro: My website is actually under construction, I get a lot of business from Facebook.. and most of my business is sent out to the USA and Eastern Canada. You can hit me on Facebook at “Sho Sho Esquiro Clothing” I take orders from there and once my site is up it will be easier to view my line and order from there.”www.shoshoesquiro.com” coming at ya in march 2011

SN: What is the next step for SHO SHO ESQUIRO? What can we expect for 2011?

Sho Sho Esquiro: Basically for 2011, I am going to be part of a fashion show this month in Winnipeg then a fashion show here in vancouver in march with the amazing artist and clothing designer Alano Edzersa. A native business trade show in vegas in march, selling on location in AZ and Gathering Nations Pow wow in Albuquerque, NM, in april. I worked as a costume designer before so I feel blessed to fulfill my dream to be self employed, and do Sho Sho. it feels nice to see people in my clothes while showing pride in my heritage. I’m going to be collaborating with a lot of amazing Native artists and music artists this year so its gonna be an exciting year.



Swagg Review: Sho Sho Esquiro is a Native inspired line that combines the use of various colors, fabrics, and textures. Using hand painted prints and custom 1 of a kind designs sets this line apart from competition. If you’re looking to update your Swagg with clothing that no one else has; Sho Sho Esquiro is definitely SWAGG APPROVED.

- Interviewed By: Mel Famous

Integrating History and Fashion: an interview with Dorothy Grant

Integrating History and Fashion: an interview with Dorothy Grant
By Brittany Luby, Graduate Student at the University of British Columbia/First Nations House of Learning

I first met Dorothy Grant in Vancouver’s Pan Pacific Hotel. I was so nervous – hardly 20 years of age and working the front desk for a high profile business event. I watched Dorothy – then unknown – walk towards me, her coat tails swaying side-to-side with each step. She seemed to dance across the corridor, her coat an able partner. When she reached the desk, I smiled and greeted the raven embroidered onto her collar.

“I like your jacket,” I said.

“Thank you. Dorothy Grant.”

I scanned the table for her name tag. And there it was, “Dorothy Grant of Dorothy Grant Studio.”

“What do you do?” I asked.

“I’m a fashion designer.”


(Feastwear 1994, Haida Wedding Gown)

I learned that Dorothy Grant gained international recognition for Feastwear, a line sported by public figures like Robin Williams, David Suzuki, and Lieutenant Governor Iona Campanella. My excitement grew when I discovered that Dorothy Grant returned to her roots – to Haida myth and histories – to design garments now. Grant excited my inner fashionista – the Chanel-obsessed historian-in-training who ordered both clothing and library books online.

Three years later, I would meet Dorothy Grant again – this time, in her studio on West 6th Avenue in Vancouver, BC. I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to know how (and why) Dorothy, of Haida and Tlingit ancestry, united fashion and Indigenous history. And, I had Active History to offer. Over a cup of green tea, here’s what I learned about the intersections of history and haute couture:

LUBY: What inspired you to use fashion – to use garments as a medium – for sharing Haida art, Haida histories?

GRANT: Haida art has a look of almost universality to it. It has to do with the “Innovation” idea – that art should not be stagnant, but progressive, no matter what the culture. As for Haida people, we have always looked for new mediums to convey Haida Art. This way, we keep ownership of it and no one else can say they did that first. Think of fashion as a bridge between cultures. It’s a way for people of nations –

LUBY: Of different nations?

GRANT: Yes – of nations to understand the art in fashion, rather than a totem pole. It becomes more communal.

LUBY: How do you decide which stories or symbols to share?

GRANT: Sometimes my garments tell a story from really what inspires me to create something. And, sometimes its just esthetics of a design – that I want to put Haida art onto a particular classic style. Like art, fashion should not be stagnant, but be constantly moving to convey a contemporary culture.

LUBY: OK. Contemporary culture. Dorothy, your work has been displayed at museums across North America from the Smithsonian to Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology. Do you have any fears surrounding museum displays? For example, the conflation of current fashion with Indigenous pasts by your viewers?

GRANT: No, I don’t fear that at all! I think to be collected by museums is a huge honour. Most artists or designers have to die before they are recognized that way! I think it –

LUBY: Museum displays –

GRANT: communicates that innovation that I talk about to the general public and that is good thing.

LUBY: Alright. So, museum displays: a good thing and fantastic exposure. But, what sort of history do you want museum visitors to walk away with? They see your pieces and think – what?


(Dorothy and models, Feastwear 2010)

GRANT: That it’s more about progression of Haida people. They first must see the evolution of Haida art and its people and what we have evolved from. For instance, from about 1850 we were nearly extinct from diseases like small pox. Our population was decimated by 90 % from contact. And there’s so much that can be said for the period between then and now, our contemporary culture. It’s like colonialism, social oppression, and how we have overcome that. Haida people refuse to be victims. Again, it’s about claiming what is rightfully ours.

“And, the history of my people is one of national interest in that we have always been progressive in politics, in art, in language, the protection of our territories (land and water rights). The interest in Haida art is much sought after and carries a lot of weight in the Native art arena. To see my work in museums is a lot about that progression, and evolution. As one collector has said “You’ve come a long way, baby.” Sweet and true.

LUBY: I love that you see museum displays as a statement of evolution. Fashion as a piece de resistance. Now, to a set question: Flare and Toronto’s Globe and Mail have both claimed your garments are a site of intersection. They are a creative space where fashion meets Haida art, myth, history. How do you feel about this claim? And, is this the legacy you’d like to leave?

GRANT: This is true! Yes, this is what I set out to do as part of an earlier vision from 1989, but it still carries forward today.

“Nothing ever remains the same – as for the vision, it still is the same. However, what is changed is the Legacy of Dorothy Grant Vision. I believe it is the impact of my work on other First Nations communities and individuals that matters. In terms of starting something that others can try to emulate or take inspiration from to do their own thing in their own cultural esthetic. This has been extremely – it’s impacted First Nations communities as far away as New Zealand, Maoris. I think that is what I am inspired to do.

“When I am selling to people in shows, in art markets, there is this feeling of pride from my clients that they feel they have arrived, that they are buying something very special. They aspire to buy for themselves or as gifts and they deliver it with pride. This is the most gratifying for me.

“If I have helped to elevate the way a person feels about themselves in my clothing, then I have done my job well.

LUBY: Wow. Dorothy, thank you so much for your time. As a First Nations student, I can say that you’re a real role model for me. A successful business woman and connected to your roots. I hope for as much – to move forward and be true to myself and my history. Meegwetch.

And, with that, I packed away my lap top, savoured the last sip of my tea, and quickly checked the price on Dorothy’s new ribbon scarves. I left an inspired, well-dressed historian-to-be with a story.

Interview | Patricia Michaels

(Native American clothing designer Patricia Michaels enjoys her accolades at the Tribal Fusions fashion show.)

Below is an insightful interview conducted with Taos fashion designer Patricia Michaels. She participated in the 2005-2007 global exchange program funded by the WK Kellogg Foundation, which sought to "support and promote commercialization of high value craft products through enhancing training, product development, and market linkages."

Michaels speaks to a primary challenge of keeping indigenous art alive. The artist’s designs must translate into products that appeal to a wider audience — who may or may not appreciate the traditions from which they come — to create a more prosperous future for artists and their communities.

Interviewee: Patricia Michaels, Fashion and Surface Designer
8/19/2005 - Santa Fe, NM

What is your name and profession?

My name is Patricia Michaels. And my profession is fashion design and surface design.

What is it like to be a Native American designer?

I've been doing fashion design for the past 20 years and it's been difficult because when I first started to do fashion I wasn't accepted as Native American fashion. They asked me what I was trying to do? What I was doing made no sense. And why I wasn't I making fringed coats and beaded garments and Hollywood designs? So I called this last collection that I did Naturally Native because it's inspired a lot by nature and that's what I'm inspired by. Therefore it's only natural that we evolve and go with the content of what nature is providing for us. And sometimes if nature is mad, then my costume might seem a little bit racy and edgy; or if nature is very calm and beautiful and I'm enjoying myself I just really follow that and that's where my heart is and I enjoy it.

Has it been hard to market your pieces?

Yes, it was extremely hard because they said, this is all so new and different, you need to write a story about each piece and then they'll sell. It does work and it's a nice relationship with everything I create. But it is difficult to market because woman and Native American, they feel that our society just didn’t have enough Native American designers so therefore how could there be an industry for Native American designers without more than one real innovative designer. They said, where are you going to go with this? You're representing natives. So now I think it's finally growing and there's a lot of young contemporary designers and I think that there are huge possibilities for it.

Do you see yourself as representing natives?

Absolutely, my collection had the theme of water because we struggle for water rights in our village today, and for native people we have always taken care of our resources so it seems like every time the resources are out in the surrounding areas, they come to us and fight for our resources. So any time that I see struggles for native nations on their resources it hits me in a way, then I work out my frustrations through creating something beautiful and knowing that we hold on to it the best that we can and make it into the beauty that we see it.

(A native artist shows his work at Santa Fe's annual Native American Market.)

Why do you think indigenous designs are appealing?

Indigenous designs are extremely challenging and appealing to wear and exciting because of the fact that there's something that is meaningful behind each piece created. A lot of times in society, people have gone away from taking the time to really think about what they're doing from day to day. Indigenous cultures are raising their families to really think about how their family is going to enjoy their life and still come home and bring something peaceful. Not only monetary things to the family household. It encompasses conversation, observation of feelings and the environment about them. Therefore the indigenous designs carry that same type of message. For most people they might find it a little too challenging, they don’t want to deal with it, they run away with it. Get your coffee, your notepad, take your notes, it's not important, we've got stocks to buy, the world is to pillage. With native design, I've tried to take it in the direction of a very contemporary look so they're not so inhibited about approaching what we feel in our hearts.

Do you see yourself as a role model for other Native American artists?

Absolutely, I've worked in materials that were non-Hollywood materials that didn't have anything to do with leather or wool. I went straight to work with silk and that became a challenge. And I also started to do a lot of couture and custom two-piece suits. That was definitely innovative and most people were just not expecting to see that.

When did you realize you would be a designer?

In the fourth grade when my Barbie dolls took a creative award at a science fair. I dyed their skin velvety brown and so the science fair judges looked at it and said well, you know, we don't know. She didn't write anything about the content of what went in the skin but we think this is very creative and it's beautiful. It was like an invention creative award.

(The Tribal Fusions fashion show offered designs from native cultures in Africa, as well as the United States.)

What are your thoughts relating to the African culture?

For the time that I have been able to spend with the Africans from South Africa, I know that they have that same belief background, where you really want to have that cultural experience and it's a longing similarity that you just feel. The presence is there and it's strong. There are just parallels that just go unspoken where you see them taking care of each other in a very familiar way. You only want to spend that time because it's rare, we're in America being Native American Indians and the cultures that we have aren't always so pronounced as the experience that we're having with the South Africans.

Had you thought previously about cross cultural relationship?

Yes, I grew up on the stage dancing as a child. I've always thought that it would be nice to have cultural exchanges with other countries. The night before I was born my mother opened up a gallery downtown Santa Fe and from that moment on it was incredible. I saw different people coming into Santa Fe and into our gallery and we traveled throughout the United States doing cultural exchange programs through dance. But I was raised around a family of dancers, I realized that I appreciated the ceremony of getting prepared before the dance and the way the traditional garments looked and that just expounded on my interest to make garments for people who could wear them without feeling like they're intruding into our culture.

What were your goals in taking part in this shared event?

My goal in taking part in this shared event is that I have an exchange with the South Africans so that we can grown from one another's experience and knowledge of what areas we're strong in and what areas that we are weak in. I find it extremely fascinating that they can have their cottage industries established and really be providing for their families. It's important because of the native culture we're very close to our families. In my studio I have mostly family members working in there, aunts and apprentice nieces, but if that can just grown further and we can respectfully market it with strong understanding that there's a place for everybody, even as far as shipping and sales. These areas as communities have never been explored as vastly as most people think.

(The Tribal Fusions fashion show offered designs from native cultures in and the United States, as well as Africa.)

How is what you're doing today going to contribute to the social and economic development of the Native American?

The most rewarding part of what I can give back to my native culture and my works of fashion design and textile design is that there's a message in each piece and I also have apprentices that work with me. A lot of my models are also Native American Indian and it gives young girls the opportunity to feel good about themselves because low self esteem is high. Native American culture with the stereotype expectations of Native Americans it's easy for someone to feel that they don’t have a place in society, which media always propagates. I have a family who then has all their own creative energy and all of us are doing our own things. I have a son who does his own independent film documentaries and then a daughter who was modeling today, she's eight so she does everything. My husband, Tony, who's a painter, and they see us evolving constantly and enjoying a creative spirit. I think it gives a lot of excitement to the community and we hire so many people to help that they learn from it and it feels good because you're doing something with people that you absolutely love.

What would you say to someone who looks at what is going on here today and says how's that ever going to change anybody's life?

I know it changed my life because already I've met wonderful and foreign people, I've made contacts and I did great sales. At the end of today, after you do a show and what we do at the Indian Market. If I sold better today than any of my other fashion shows, then that's the first start and secondly to have a relationship, to brainstorm with the other designers, to go forward with what works and what doesn't work, that's another important part and we decided that before we do a fashion show we would have a debriefing. But I think the power the designers had as a whole felt it was very important that we do debriefing and think of other alternatives of how to market and what will be good for us.

What do you hope the Africans take away from this exchange?

I hope that the South Africans take away with them the feeling of my appreciation that we were able to participate with them and that the sincerity of their presence here and all the desires to a part of a collaborative effort, is very strong. That they continue a relationship, they continue communication. More of how to better market, how to better produce, how to be ready for the mass production and all of that exchanges is hoping that we get into that realm of let's make it work.

[Read original here at the WK Kellogg Foundation Website]

(Original designs of silk, leather, and everything in between graced the Tribal Fusions fashion show.)