Join us for an inspiring conversation with renowned seventh generation Diné (Navajo) textile artist and designer Naiomi Glasses and Sariah Park, Assistant Professor of Fashion Design and Social Justice, which will focus on Naiomi’s artistic journey, the significance of her work within Diné weaving traditions, and the recent Polo Ralph Lauren x Naiomi Glasses collaboration. By analyzing the interplay between identity, the Land, and material culture, the discussion will underscore the vital role of Indigenous dress in storytelling, resistance, cultural survival and the power of collaboration. This work not only preserves tradition but also challenges industry norms, advocating for more inclusive practices that celebrate the richness of Indigenous heritage.
The conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A, offering a unique opportunity to engage directly with Glasses about her creative practice, advocacy, and vision for the future.
Presented by MPS Fashion Management and Naiomi Glasses at Parsons School of Fashion.
Naiomi Glasses is a seventh-generation Diné (Navajo) textile artist, designer and model. After moving from Phoenix, Arizona, to Dinétah (Navajo Nation) in northeast Arizona at age 12, Naiomi began intensively studying traditional weaving under her late grandmother. At 18, she began weaving full-time and launched her online custom textile business—focusing her work on bringing attention to the beauty of Diné culture. Naiomi’s one-of-a-kind weavings and designs celebrate Navajo pattern work and craft pre–trading posts, putting her love for the Diné way of life at the center of everything she creates.Â
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Now 28, Naiomi is regularly featured at SWAIA’s Santa Fe Indian Market and Heard Guild Indian Fair & Market, where her work has earned a range of awards and acclaim, including multiple ribbons in the weaving division within the textile classification. In 2023, she became Ralph Lauren’s inaugural Artist in Residence, launching the three-part Polo Ralph Lauren x Naiomi Glasses collection, an award-winning collaboration with the brand’s creative teams. In her spare time, she is an avid skateboarder and is passionate about building community among Native youth and the young-at-heart through skateboarding. Naiomi resides on Dinétah (Navajo Nation) in northeast Arizona with her parents, Tyler Glasses Sr. and Cynthia Glasses, and her brother and fellow weaver, Tyler Glasses Jr.Â
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Sariah Park is an interdisciplinary artist and educator currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Fashion Design and Social Justice at Parsons School of Design. As an enrolled member of the Chiricahua Apache Nation, Sariah’s work as an educator is rooted in supporting, promoting, and centering Indigenous scholars and voices within the arts. Her research and creative practice addresses critical issues surrounding the lasting impacts of colonization, cultural appropriation, consumerism, and societal waste. Sariah’s work has been featured in Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Hyperallergic, The Wall Street Journal, and Women’s Wear Daily. She is the recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Fellowship, as well as artist grants from Creative Capital and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Her work is included in numerous portfolios, traveling exhibitions, and private collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
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