Following three successful collections with Diné (Navajo) weaver Naiomi Glasses, Ralph Lauren is announcing the continuation of its Artist in Residence program for cultural collaborations.
The American fashion leader has tapped Diné (Navajo) artist Zefren-M to partner on a capsule line with its vintage and workwear inspired Double RL brand.
Zefren-M is a multidisciplinary artist, historian and LGBTQIA+ advocate whose work melds traditional and modern techniques. Raised in Dinétah (Navajo Nation), they first learned traditional sewing, weaving and sheep-raising from their grandmothers and deepened their experience through the Navajo Cultural Arts Program at Diné College. They have won multiple accolades for their work including the Heard Museum Best of Show and awards from the Navajo Nation Fair, Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial and Santa Fe Indian Market.
“Looking to the past has always been a deep source of inspiration to me and something I convey throughout my art and in my personal style,” Zefren-M said in a statement. “Collaborating with the Double RL team allowed us to create a unique expression of our shared love of heritage and tradition — all while honoring the stories of the Navajo people.”
Debuted in December 2023 with the Polo Ralph Lauren x Naiomi Glasses collection, the Artist in Residence program is part of Ralph Lauren’s ongoing commitment to evolve from inspiration to collaboration with communities that have historically inspired its designs.
Introduced alongside Double RL’s fall/holiday assortment, the Double RL x Zefren-M capsule includes a workshirt and hand-knit shawl cardigan, soft accessories and a floor rug in a color palette reflecting the landscape of Navajo Nation. The repeating patterns nod to past weavings of Zefren-M and their great grandmother, referencing the cycles of life demonstrated throughout many Navajo art forms. Also a student of traditional silversmithing, Zefren-M designed stamped conchos for the collection using varying Spider Woman motifs, honoring the creator and teacher of the weaving tradition in Navajo culture.
“They do a lot of amazing traditional weaving but they also explore traditional menswear patterns like herringbones and chevrons and houndstooths that are deeply connected to traditional menswear, but on a Navajo loom,” said Sasha Kelly, head of design with intent at Ralph Lauren, of the commonalities between Zefren-M’s work and Double RL’s heritage expression.
The collaboration will support organizations that serve Native communities within Navajo Nation, with a percentage of the purchase price from sales benefitting The Lyndon Foundation working to preserve heritage and craft and provide opportunities for Indigenous youth pursuing careers in the arts. Founder Lyndon Tsosie (Diné/Navajo) is an accomplished silversmith and a former teacher to Zefren-M. As part of the collaboration, a curated selection of Tsosie’s handmade silver and turquoise pieces will be available for purchase at the Double RL flagship on West Broadway in New York City, where there will be a launch event for the collection.
A short film about Zefren-M’s life, art and inspiration shot in Navajo Nation in Four Corners, N.M., premieres on YouTube Tuesday. The story will continue on select Ralph Lauren and Double RL channels, with imagery from Zefren-M’s personal studio, the Double RL showroom and as part of the Double RL 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 beginning Nov. 7 and 8 in stores. It will also be shoppable on the Ralph Lauren website and app starting Nov. 24, as well as on Ralph Lauren’s e-commerce domains in China and Japan on Nov. 18.
The reaction to the Artist in Residence collections has been positive, Kelly said. “We have had a lot of interest from folks reaching out, either directly through our website where they’ve actually applied, or in the spaces where we’re engaging,” she said of the traditional art and craft fairs and competitions that the Ralph Lauren team attend throughout the year. “I think people really appreciated seeing the external, larger Native creative partnerships that we had throughout the program as well. So they may have heard about this through hair and makeup, or through somebody who was a part of the production crew, or part of the film crew,” she said, of the campaigns Glasses created with Native casts and crew.
While the Artist in Residence program is focused on Indigenous and Native stories for now, Kelly said it could expand in the future. “We have global aspirations. We just want to make sure that we pace ourselves to make sure that we can really honor these stories and give them the justice that they deserve.”