RRL x Zefren-M Hooded Wrap Cardigan

Presenting the Double RL x Zefren-M capsule, the second collaboration of the Ralph Lauren Artist in Residence program, reflecting our evolved design approach with the artisans and communities that inspire us. The capsule celebrates and honors Navajo tradition, craft, and culture with designs that merge the old and new. Zefren-M is a multidisciplinary artist, historian, and LGBTQIA+ advocate from the Navajo Nation whose work blends ancient techniques with forward-thinking technology to tell the story of the Navajo (Diné) people. Intarsia-knit by skilled artisans with wool yarns that are knotted by hand at the interior with each change of color, this wrap cardigan’s pattern takes inspiration from a piece by the artist’s great-grandmother. Zefren-M’s interpretation features stacks of squares that represent the beginning, middle, and end, honoring the significance of cyclical patterns in Navajo tradition. A custom palette of hand-dyed yarn colors was developed to reflect the landscape of Navajo Nation, the topography of which is expressed by Zefren-M through variations in pattern and scale. A scholar in traditional silversmithing, Zefren-M also designed a series of stamped concho button motifs inspired by the Spider Woman deity, who is the creator and teacher of the weaving tradition in Navajo culture. It is created in collaboration with Manos del Uruguay, a nonprofit collective of rural artisan women that promotes social and economic development.