The creations of Arizona-born Orlando Dugi, a member of the Diné Nation, are nothing if not dramatic: gowns glittering with delicate beadwork, silks embroidered with symbolic flora and fauna. Some have been exhibited at places like the Denver Art Museum and the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles. While his imagination is fueled by his upbringing—days spent watching his grandmother sew and nights stargazing at his family’s sheep ranch—Dugi also finds inspiration in Santa Fe, which he’s called home since 2010. “All the tribal, colonial, and Spanish history—it’s all here,” he says. “It’s very small, but it’s also pretty international.” New Mexico‘s capital city is set to draw a global audience as host of the inaugural Santa Fe Native Fashion Week, the first of its kind in the country, held from May 2 to 5, where Dugi will present highlights from his mens- and womenswear collections. When he’s not designing, he enjoys connecting with Indigenous culture on the ancestral lands of the Tewa people—or kicking back with a margarita.
The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian is best known for the Jim and Lauris Phillips Center for the Study of Southwestern Jewelry, which showcases some 700 works made by Navajo and Pueblo artisans, past and present. Visitors can shop its Case Trading Post, which Dugi says “has a good selection of price ranges, from the more affordable to the higher end.” Examples include bold Zuni-made vintage squash blossom necklaces and an intricate Laguna/Chiricahua Apache inlay bracelet.
The Owings Gallery
Although there’s no shortage of galleries and artists in Santa Fe, Dugi is drawn to the contemporary collaborations between the Diné designer Yazzie Johnson and the Pueblo designer Gail Bird at The Owings Gallery. In addition to the turquoise jewelry commonly associated with Native American crafts, Johnson and Bird work with 18-karat gold, semiprecious stones, and pearls. Dugi says, “I’m drawn to work like theirs: based on traditional and Indigenous forms but not what most people expect.”
Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi
In the summer, Dugi lingers at Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi— their patio is a shady outdoor spot steps from the 400-year-old Santa Fe Plaza. “You can have lunch and watch people from all over the world walk by,” he says. At the Anasazi Restaurant, there’s lots to love about the seasonal menu, like cheese from Tucumcari Mountain and bread from Sage Bakehouse, a bakery at the foot of the nearby Sangre de Cristo mountains. Dugi’s go-to drink is a perennial favorite: “You can’t go wrong with a Silver Coin margarita”—the hotel’s signature cocktail made with silver tequila and Cointreau.
The School for Advanced Research
“The School for Advanced Research is a wow if you have a chance to visit,” Dugi says. He recommends the institution’s public tours of its vaults, which house more than 12,000 pieces of pottery, basketry, and rare items, like a 1,500-year-old pair of woven yucca sandals and a Navajo garment with a black-and-white twill pattern from a Hopi man’s robe. The latter two inspired Dugi to design a silk-caped jumpsuit with a waistband featuring a houndstooth pattern out of cactus fiber and wool.
