5 minute read
ORLANDO DUGI: THREADING THE PAST INTO THE FUTURE ONE BEAD AT A TIME
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FIERCE & FEMME
CONTEMPORARY CREATIONS OF CULTURE
EMBRACING THE FLUX
BRINGING LGBTQ2S+, NATIVE REPRESENTATION TO FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY
Orlando Dugi is a self-taught Native American fashion designer whose wellknown couture designs were featured in successful fashion exhibitions throughout the country. Inspired by and handcrafted from traditions rooted in his Diné heritage, Orlando meticulously threads the past into the future one bead at a time, designing timeless yet modern pieces. Fashion writer Niya DeGroat sat down with Orlando to talk about his queer background, his design aesthetic, and how he has been passing the time during the quarantine.
BY NIYA DEGROAT
PHOTO BY JASON ORDAZ
Orlando Dugi, 41, is a self-taught Native American fashion designer based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, who burst onto the scene when his couture designs were featured in the successful traveling exhibition, Native Fashion Now by Peabody Essex Museum, back in 2016. In 2018, he launched his eponymous label after participating in Phoenix Fashion Week’s designer boot camp. In the summer of 2019, in partnership with Fort Collins’ Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising, he debuted a solo exhibition entitled: “Walking In Beauty: Designs by Orlando Dugi,” which featured an 18-piece collection spanning nine years of his intricate beading technique. In the wake of the pandemic, Dugi was tapped by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) to present a virtual fashion show for its Santa Fe Indian Market. The world-renown event was postponed due to social distancing but will be presented as a month-long digital event in August. I sat down with Orlando via Zoom to talk about his queer background, his design aesthetic, and how he has been passing the time during the quarantine.
What is your tribe and where are you from? How do you identify yourself within the LGBTQ+ community?
I am Diné originally from Gray Mountain, Arizona and I identify as a gay man with a preference for He/Him/His pronouns. I am also Kinyaa’aanii (Towering House clan) born for Todich’ii’nii (Bitter Water clan). My maternal clan is Tl’izi lani (Many Goats) and my paternal clan is Tse deeshgizhnii (Rock Gap).
Do you have a “coming out” story?
This is so weird because I’ve never really talked about it before. When I was young, I always knew that I was different. I’d watched T.V. and find
certain men attractive, but I never said anything out loud. I did come out to my mother in my late teens. When I told her, she told me that she sort of already knew. She said she loved me and that I would always be her son. Unlike other coming out stories I have heard, when I came out to my entire family, there was no conflict. They were like ‘oh, okay,’ and we all moved on. Today, I have been in a relationship with my partner, Ken Williams, for almost 11 years.
How did you get your start in fashion?
When I first started out, I entered Native Art shows by presenting non-traditional contemporary beaded handbags, clutches, and other accessories. That was really my first step into fashion. For my third year submission, I entered a couture dress into the Santa Fe Indian Market’s clothing competition and took home first place. That experience was a turning point for me to pursue fashion because I really didn’t know anything about fashion, it was all very new to me. But when I put my gown on a model and saw her transform into an empowered woman, that’s when I knew I wanted to continue on this path.
Do you consider yourself an indigenous designer or a designer who happens to be indigenous?
Oh, my goodness! That’s a tough question because I always find myself struggling to answer it. Initially, I didn’t want to be known as just a Native designer, because I didn’t want to be put in this box. But, the more I think about it, the more I find myself acknowledging it because I think it’s important to embrace who you are and where you come from and to share your culture with the world. So, I consider myself to be a bit of both. Indigenous fashion is open to interpretation, it doesn’t have to be one distinct look.
Orlando participated in Phoenix Fashion Week’s designer boot camp where he showcased his designs on the runway. Photos by James Almanza (Phoenix Fashion Week)
I do everything in-house. I don’t make the fabric but I do bead and embroider everything by hand. I don’t do fast-fashion, so I don’t mass produce anything. A lot of the sewing is done 80 percent by hand, and 20 percent by machine. My inspiration really comes from my culture and trying to tell our stories in my own way without being literal. It’s really a poetic interpretation of how I see the world – through our songs and our teachings – presented in a modern way. I see my designs as armor for any person to feel confident and beautiful.
How have you been passing the time during quarantine?
Currently, I’m working on a 10-piece collection for Santa Fe Indian Market’s virtual event in August. It’s been a lot of hard work especially with what’s going on in the world. With fashion weeks being canceled and everything going virtual, we’re all thinking about how we are impacting the environment. It’s definitely made me more aware of the need for sustainability. For instance, I haven’t been able to order my go-to silk fabric from overseas so I have been forced to utilize alternative resources including using boxes of unused material and scraps to create this collection.
What’s next for Orlando Dugi?
A lot of future projects have been put on hold due to the pandemic, but I am definitely exploring a luxury ready-to-wear collection, so stay tuned for that.
