Josh Tafoya ushers New Mexico’s rich textile history into the contemporary world of fashion and design, keeping old traditions alive and telling new stories within his work.
When people think of the landscapes of the American Southwest, they likely think of desert flora, adobe, and, perhaps less likely, the prolific appropriation of Indigenous textile traditions. Southwestern staples, such as the falsa blanket—which can be traced back to the Tarahumara people in the area of Coahuila—are more strongly associated with the tourist industry than their original craftspeople. Textile artist Josh Tafoya, however, is determined to flip that tendency on its head.
Born and raised in Taos, New Mexico, Tafoya has his eyes set on reviving the old traditions of New Mexican textile art. In doing so, his broader hope is to redefine Southwestern fashion and introduce centuries of Indigenous heritage to the world of contemporary fashion and design.
After completing a BFA in fashion design at Parsons New School of Design, Tafoya began producing several series of textile works, including wall-hung pieces and clothing items, that pay homage to the patterns, colors, and traditions of his New Mexican family. His attention to detail and dedication to his peoples’ textile traditions imbues his work with the spirit of his homeland.
Two Denim Hills (2022)—a suit of patchwork denim—captures both the wide-leg fit of a rancher’s trousers and the delicacy and sophistication of a loom-woven textile work. Bright blue and extravagantly textured, Two Denim Hills could glide down a runway in New York as easily as it could walk the plaza in Taos.
Of course, it isn’t enough to lean entirely on the old. Tafoya’s massive salmon-red gown, Rancho La Bruja (2022, pictured on the cover of this issue), is an example of his daring to reach for the new. Fashioned of woven bailing twine, the piece cascades over the shoulders of his model in fur-like blankets of color and fury. Rancho La Bruja captures trends we saw during this year’s New York Fashion Week shows: the color red, for one; thick layers, for another; and who could forget the return of the oversized coat?
Reviving decades-old fads in the world of fashion is nothing new. Keeping old traditions alive, in order to further a conversation about New Mexican and Southwestern heritage, however, is certainly novel. Josh Tafoya is working hard to do both.
Taos, New Mexico| joshtafoya.com | @josh_tafoya_
