It’s fair to say that acclaimed Diné fashion designer Orlando Dugi is one to push his own envelope. After all, he never thought he would become a fashion designer, until he was one. He never wavered when he didn’t have the conventional training or education. He built himself up in real time with his pieces, forging his own way leaving only stars behind him.
Ty Metteba, left, in silk noil button-up shirt and black tencel extreme wide-leg trouser. Michael Montoya in hand-knit wool top and wool/mohair high-waisted trouser. MUA: April Kateri Chavez. Photographer: Darklisted Photography. Lighting: Elroy Singer.
Growing up, all of Dugi’s grandmothers would make their own clothes. He remembers when he was 4 or 5 years old, his great-grandmother calling him over from her hogan to thread her needle. At the same time, he was learning beadwork from another grandmother. “It’s always been a part of my life,” he says, “but not in terms of what mainstream fashion is.”
Dugi wasn’t even considering a career in fashion until his first year at Santa Fe Indian Market, when he heard about a clothing competition on the plaza that had a contemporary fashion category. At the time, he knew nothing about making patterns or dressmaking. The only thing he knew were the designs he had pictured in his head. So, he went for it, creating a hand-beaded evening gown titled In Full Bloom. He received first place.
Hand-painted cotton jacket with silk flowers and tulle skirt. Model: Ty Metteba. MUA: April Kateri Chavez. Photographer: Darklisted Photography.“I didn’t go to school for this. I didn’t get professional training. So, everything was self-taught. It’s been a lot of fun, and it’s a lot of pressure, a lot of stress, but I really love doing this, even now going into my 13th year with lots of ups and downs,” says Dugi, adding, “I think, ultimately, learning from every mistake [was important] and I try not to repeat them.”
After his first-place win, he dove headfirst into the world of fashion, soaking in as much information as possible and always asking questions. He set into motion opportunities that would grow his brand, which had sought-after, ornate designs that would appear everywhere from the runway to the Academy Awards.
His style as a designer is shrouded in the comfort of darkness and captures that feeling in his clothes while also incorporating elements of his culture and the powerful impact his family has had on his work.
Rib-knit chainmail metallic silver shirt and casual white tencel trouser. Model: Michael Montoya. MUA: April Kateri Chavez. Photographer: Darklisted Photography. Lighting: Elroy Singer.
“With my upbringing, a lot of the traditional points of my Diné culture play a role, except without taking my traditional ceremonies and splashing them over a garment or onto a garment. It’s more about the feeling of textures and layers, and how they evoke the beauty for Hóhzó,” he says, invoking the hard-to-translate Diné word that loosely means beauty and harmony.
Orlando Dugi (Navajo (Diné)) at a recent SWAIA fashion show in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Photographer: Tira Howard.
In 2022, Dugi introduced his men’s line, taking from the same ideas as he would from women’s wear. He continues to play with transparency, utilizing sheer fabrics and lace. He’s reinventing the concept of what a well-dressed man should look like, aiming to show people that men’s clothes can be elegant. “I’m trying to approach men’s clothes with the same spirit, I guess, as the women’s clothes…elegant and extravagant, so that’s what I try to portray every time I design and make something,” Dugi says. His men’s 2023/2024 collection is a hypnotizing amalgamation of chic mystery and nighttime magic with this year’s line featuring a gorgeous billowing tulle jumpsuit, sexy sheer angled crop tops and shimmering bomber jackets, perfect for a stunning red-carpet evening. This nocturnal-inspired collection will be shown with other past collections at the inaugural SWAIA Native Fashion Week in Santa Fe, and the designs will surely offer hints of the directions he’s taking in 2025 and beyond.
Pineapple-leaf leather riding jacket, rib-knit chainmail metallic black shirt, wool/mohair tailored high-waisted trouser. Model: Michael Montoya. MUA: Violet Ahmie. Photographer: Orlando Dugi.
Stargazer is to be his most extravagant line yet with 26 looks, making it his largest collection that tells a story of galactic proportions derived from the stories of the Star People, along with Dugi’s original interpretation. An early synopsis for the show offers some of the plot: “A crew of interstellar travelers make their way across the galaxy on a mission to spread peace through exploring their past, present and future selves. The travelers, equipped with empathy and elegance, experience their vast surroundings and practice deep listening and learning. Dugi imagines a cast of 13 characters each relating to a celestial constellation: The Storyteller, The Star Mapper and so on…”
With this being such an ambitious project, it’s important for Dugi to present it the best way he can, which means taking a step back from the 2024 August show during Santa Fe Indian Market. “I’m so excited for this collection,” Dugi says. “I’m excited for every collection, but this one in particular, I think it’s going to be really special to me. Specifically because of my grandparents. Every collection has its influences, but this one even more so.”
Hand-beaded, pineapple-leaf leather chest guard and silver metal/silk organza hand-pleated skirt. Model: Nizhoni Deschene. MUA: Prados Beauty. Photographer: Tira Howard.
Dugi’s persistence to punch through his own walls is what gives him a luxurious edge for both women’s and men’s fashion, dovetailing with personal and cultural stories. His show at SWAIA Native Fashion Week is an ode to his passion and hard work that has gotten him to where he is today, with a glimpse of where he is going in the future.
To see more of Dugi’s stunning collections, visit, www.orlandodugi.com.
Powered by Froala Editor
