Bisagra's Story

Peter Ray James is a 1984 honors graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts of Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has also attended the Parsons School of Design in New York City Peter Ray James introduced his art to the competitive Indian Art world in the spring of 1988. Since then he has sold a little over 1,200 masks and goo canvases. His art has been on album covers, prominent art show posters, and numerous newspaper and magazine covers.

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His celebrity collectors include Ahmad and Phylicia Rashad, Ted Danson, John Bon Jovi , and Wynonna Judd. "I am known among my Navajo people as Nahat'a Yilth Vil Wood one who delivers the message." It is my Navajo name that braids many generations of prayers, symbolism, tradition, honor, knowledge, and love. I truly believe my destiny is to be a storyteller through my artist endeavors. I am always honored and respectful to represent my family name in my homeland and abroad".

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Sally Beers, an expert in design and patternmaking, is a consultant and technical advisor for Bisagra.   She has over 40 years of experience working with industry giants such as Gap Inc. and Eileen Fisher as well as small apparel companies like Sierra Peaks and Homefrocks. In addition to design, she leads the team to train and direct new patternmakers within the company. Skilled in all aspects of import, domestic, knit, and woven production, Beers is excited to bring her expertise to the Bisagra team.  

Cynthia Trujillo, assistant designer and sample maker, learned to sew by hand at the age of 7 with her mother cutting out Barbie Doll patterns. By the age of 12, she was using a sewing machine and making her younger sister’s clothes. As she got older, she gained a reputation for sewing and design and made custom outfits, adding in applique, piece, and painting work. 

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During her time in the alterations department at The Young Men’s Shop, a high-end men & women’s clothing store in Boalsburg, PA, she learned the intricate work of tailoring men’s clothing, and how to take apart clothing and put them back together. This is where her hand sewing skills came in handy, working with delicate and more difficult fabrics such as chiffon, silk, organza, etc. She apprenticed with an Italian tailor, and eventually became the manager of the alterations department. In 1985, she worked in alterations at a bridal shop, deepening her understanding about how to fit and sew complex fits. 

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During all of her jobs in alterations, she continued to do custom sewing for private clients.  She began to explore sewing contemporary outfits with a Native flair. She had experience sewing Navajo traditional styles but wanted to explore and expand her brand, Cynthia Trujillo Designs. She entered her first fashion show as a designer in Tuba City, AZ, in 2017 and has gone on to compete in shows on and off the Navajo reservation in Kayenta (AZ), Albuquerque (NM), Window Rock (AZ), Denver (CO), Santa Fe (NM), and New York City.

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She earned a Business Administration degree from Ft. Lewis College in Durango, CO in 2017. She brings her passion for producing quality design work as well as her business savvy to Bisagra, and is excited to watch the new company develop. 

Belinda Gallegos is a member of the Dine people; She first met Judy Campbell Clancy in 1982 when her mother, Mabel Canuto, began collaborating with Campbell Clancy’s brand “Dineh”. In addition to sewing, she worked as a store manager for FedEx. Now, she joins the Bisagra team as the Assistant Manager.  Belinda is the 'problem solver "of the Bisagra team. Her brilliant personality and patience keeps Bisagra motivated every day. 

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Judy Campbell Clancy is a stylist, consultant, and social justice advocate based in Durango, Colorado..  Her impulse to start Bisagra came from her experience working with talented weavers, seamstresses, and other Dine artists for over 40 years. In 1982, she started DINEH, a clothing company inspired by Native American design and fashion. Through her partnerships with Utah Navajo Industries and the Navajo Nation's government under Chairman Peterson Zah's Women's office. In 1982 she established, managed production, and assisted stylists in two sewing factories (located in Halchita, Utah and Fort Defiance, Arizona).

 

She also owned and operated a small clothing boutique, Smelters Coalroom, in Durango, Colorado for 30 years, and has worked as a manager and consultant to larger fashion designers such as Sara Campbell Ltd. and recently with Gabriela Hearst who brought her first Navajo Weaving onto the New York fashion runway in her Spring/Summer collection in 2022. Her mission with Bisagra is to help combat poverty and low unemployment on the Navajo Nation and Farmington, New Mexico, by creating meaningful job opportunities and highlighting talented weavers and seamstresses.  Her goal is to provide a platform where Indigenous artists are empowered to create and influence the mainstream fashion industry with their unique voices and talents. 

Judy, former owner of two small sewing factories in the Navajo Nation, reached out to Gabriella Hearst seeking opportunities for talented weavers due to the high unemployment rate. This led to a collaboration with Navajo weaver TahNibaa Naataanii, who, alongside her mother and daughter, joined forces with Gabriella Hearst. Judy also connected them with photographer Krystal Curley for the collection. TahNibaa, a 5th generation Navajo weaver and sheepherder, embodies the traditional practices of wool preparation, maintaining ancestral weaving protocols.

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Courtney L. Martin is a queer female figurative artist and designer working primarily in Minneapolis. She uses traditional media to experiment with visual situations involving enigmatic characters with their own unique identity and presence. Martin uses numerous references ranging from pop culture to historical events to invite viewers into examining their own preconceived, psychological projections of identity performance, cultural history, and gender roles. Martin has a BFA in Painting from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and in 2007 received an Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the National Endowment for The Arts. She has exhibited internationally from London to Italy and her work resides in private collections all over the world.

 

Heather Good, fabric manager, has an extensive background in the fashion industry with a specialization in textiles. She graduated magna cum laude from FIDM and FIT with degrees in Product Development and International Trade & Marketing. She began her career in New York City where she held various roles in product development and production. In 2021 she relocated to the southwest where she has been able to continue her career in the industry both locally and remote, serving clients across the U.S.

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Alycia Tanisha Begay is our social media-graphic design student intern. She is pursuing her Business Administration A.A.S. degree at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico. Alycia is a Descendant of “The 1864 Navajo Long Walk.” She grew up on the Navajo Reservation near Newcomb, New Mexico. Her aspirations embrace the ability to be the sound native representation she needed as a child. She strives to advocate for M.M.I.W. (Missing Murdered Indigenous Women), Every Child Matters, and “Walking the Red Road of sobriety.”

Alycia's reconnection to her cultural identity has made her a proud, resilient, Diné Asdzáán (Navajo Woman). Her work for Bisagra involves sublimation printing, graphic design editing, and utilizing social media to reach an audience online. She has become a valuable assistant to the Bisagra team. We are happy to have Alycia onboard! 
 

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The MMIW Red Hand
A red hand over the mouth has become the symbol of a growing movement, the MMIW movement. It stands for all the missing sisters whose voices are not heard. It stands for the silence of the media and law enforcement in the midst of this crisis. It stands for the oppression and subjugation of Native women who are now rising up to say #NoMoreStolenSisters.                                                                      -NativeHope.org