Indigenous Rave Crew • Original Landlords 2024
So back in the beginning of the year I was asked to design for a fashion show called On Central that happened on the First Friday of March. I tapped into my past for the inspiration on this collection and brought back a look I thought had long been forgotten, the “Candy Raver”. The Rave scene was a transcontinental phenomenon and had made its way to downtown Phoenix from the Midwest and East Coast. This particular style of dress emerged in the Mid90’s and was more prominent on the West Coast which consisted of bright colors, furry/fuzzy pants, soccer jerseys, hoodies, plastic jewelry, wild hairstyles and GLOW sticks. Whistles, big plastic chain wallets and the ever present face mask filled with VapoRub was the defining look.
My interview with Plant.Body.Soul. aired last month and in the interview I recounted the tale of how I came to be a fashion designer in high school. Being RezKids living on the Gila River Indian Community we lived in a trailer with no running water or air conditioning during the summer, live was rough. Jessica, who is the only sibling I have and the one who tagged along with me to every rave, was my muse and we’d dress each other up along with our crew every weekend. Life was carefree and we loved the music, atmosphere, vibes and being with our friends at these sketchy downtown warehouses among homeless encampments, drug dealers and prostitutes. This was our playground and where we made lifelong friendships with a diverse multicultural gathering of like minded people.
One day, I asked my mother if she’d teach me how to use her sewing machine and the rest is history. This collection was shown last month at the Arrowhead Fashion Show up on the White Mountain Apache reservation to a sold out audience produced by my friend Ryan Breezy. I just returned from the inaugural SWAIA Santa Fe Native Fashion Week in New Mexico to an eager crowd looking for the next big thing! All of this is very exciting and it’s been really fun bringing these styles back to life, I’ve even started listening to all of the old music we bumped when getting ready to produce all of these outfits. I absolutely LOVE what I do for a living! Thank you all for your support, I appreciate every single one of you!
I dropped a new earring design and SOLD OUT before I was even able to take photos or do a shoot, the work is in HIGH demand and I’m having trouble keeping up. Luckily, I’ve secured some funding to hire help this Summer! Be on the lookout as I’ll be traveling ALL Summer!
In the meantime, please listen/watch my INTERVIEW with Plant.Body.Soul and LIKE it and leave a COMMENT please!
RVSO