{"id":1053167,"date":"2022-04-08T13:40:36","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T18:40:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=1053167"},"modified":"2022-04-22T01:21:48","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T06:21:48","slug":"indigenous-designer-creates-moccasin-sneaker-to-reclaim-native-american-culture-within-the-footwear-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/indigenous-designer-creates-moccasin-sneaker-to-reclaim-native-american-culture-within-the-footwear-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous Designer Creates Moccasin Sneaker to Reclaim Native American Culture Within the Footwear Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Long before the “land of the free and the home of the brave,” there was a nation of people that walked in beauty. Surrounded by four sacred mountains and guided by their ancestors, Native American people lived on untouched soil that would one day be taken from them and overhauled by colonialism. The America that indigenous communities know today is one that erases their legacy and neglects their people. In a country that prides itself on being the \u201cmelting pot,\u201d representation is not an equal experience and for Native Americans — it\u2019s almost non-existent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for Dewayne Dale Jr.<\/strong>, his Navajo culture is a badge of honor that he wears with pride. Representing the Red Running Into Water, Born for Water\u2019s Edge<\/em> clans, Dewayne grew up in Shiprock, New Mexico on the Navajo reservation \u2013 or as Dewayne calls it, The Res.<\/em> As he observed the world around him, Dewayne couldn\u2019t help but notice that life was different for him compared to the country at large. Although New Mexico is known as the Land of Enchantment for its wondrous terrain and wide open spaces, something about The Res felt small \u2013 and Dewayne knew he needed to do something bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After receiving a baseball scholarship, Dewayne was able to attend college where he decided to study health sciences so he could pursue athletic training. Dewayne loved sports as a kid so choosing a career centered around athletics made sense to him. Sports also introduced Dewayne to sneakers, which ended being a passion that wouldn\u2019t exert itself until later on in life. Dewayne became curious one day and Googled, \u201cWhat does it take to be a footwear designer?\u201d The rest is history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With no hesitation, Dewayne went back to school to get a third degree in pursuit of a career in the footwear industry. After noticing the term \u201cIndustrial Design\u201d on a Nike job posting, Dewayne did some research and felt like he finally found the answer to the question that had been wondering about for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once Dewayne completed his degree in Industrial Design, he landed a job on an innovation team where he worked for brands like KEEN Footwear and Chrome Industries. He was excited that he finally got his foot in the door and was working as a designer, but Dewayne felt disheartened as he realized the lack of representation of Indigenous people within the industry. Yet even with no representation, Dewayne kept noticing that his culture was inspiring mainstream trends. He would often show up to design meetings where companies would present Southwest-inspired moodboards that included compartmentalized images of Navajo culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the hype surrounding Visvim\u2019s Voyageur Moc Shaman<\/a> and even the Travis Scott x Nike Air Max 1<\/a> that features tribal prints and beading, we have to ask ourselves why Southwest aesthetics are working for everyone else except those that are most connected to the land itself. In recent years, there\u2019s been a big push for representation in a multitude of industries, but even then, it feels as though Native Americans sit at the bottom of the totem pole \u2013 even though they invented it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Dewayne felt disappointed that others were cashing-in on his culture, he stayed focused and kept working within the industry in hopes to make a change. Destiny finally presented itself to Dewayne when he was approached by Rocky Parrish<\/strong>, the CEO and Founder of ROCKDEEP<\/strong> footwear. Parrish offered Dewayne the opportunity to create his very own signature shoe in which ROCKDEEP would manufacture, but Dewayne would have free reign of design. This was the opportunity that Dewayne had been waiting on for years, and finally, FIFTH<\/strong> was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Established in 2020, FIFTH<\/a><\/strong> is Dewayne\u2019s signature sneaker line that combines authentic Native American design with contemporary footwear. FIFTH\u2019s development process came natural for Dewayne, who had been preparing for this moment years before ROCKDEEP approached him. Dewayne had always dreamed of what the modern moccasin would look like and how he could make it accessible to his fellow Din\u00e9<\/em> people. He wanted to create a shoe that would uplift the story of his heritage, but also compete with the advanced sportswear tech that\u2019s available on the market. With a sellout launch and a restock in the works, Dewayne feels like he\u2019s finally representing for The Res<\/em> and forging a new path for Native American history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

—<\/p>\n\n\n\n