http://www.daily-times.com/news/ci_7620485

Diné designers go Hip Hop

By Alysa Landry The Daily Times
Article Launched: 12/03/2007 12:00:00 AM MST

SHIPROCK — The Navajo Nation operates much like an independent country, but
when it comes to fashion and music it's as American as New York City.

That's the theory two young fashion designers betg on when they dropped out
of college to start a line of edgy, graffiti-inspired clothing.

"Mainly we started to find extra money to pay bills, but it turned into
this rapidly growing clothing company," said Tyson Powless, co-founder of
the Shiprock-based UN3EK SY5TEM.

Powless, 28, grew up in Wisconsin, then moved to Tuba City, Ariz., for high
school. He left Dixie College in St. George, Utah, a semester short of
earning an associate's degree to try his hand at screen printing. His hand
was well-praticed; he began doodling Transformers and G.I. Joe figures at
age 3.

The self-taught graffiti artist found a day job in Tempe, Ariz., and sold
his original, screen-printed T-shirts by night at Hip Hop clubs. The
designs feature a cross between the music culture and Powless's American
Indian roots — designs such as a Mohawk graphic and a white-on-black image
of Chief Sitting Bull.

"I got to town with a portfolio of art," he said. "I was really hungry to
get my stuff on T-shirts."

The urge to design came from a lifetime of following fashion, Powless said.
His mother designed American Indian styles in the 1980s, and he grew up
replicating the looks he found in fashion magazines.

Powless's girlfriend and business partner, Quishana Begay, 21, grew up in
Farmington and Shiprock, then pursued a degree in business from Mesa
Community College. After earning an associate degree, she put her education
on hold to put her skills into practice.

"Why work an 8-to-5 job that's not going anywhere?" she said. "We decided
to think outside the box and make the same amount of money doing something
we loved."

The couple's shared love of fashion, coupled with Begay's business sense,
led to the launch of UN3EK SY5TEM in the fall of 2005. The name reflects
the American Indian philosophy, Powless said.

"The unique system represents every tribe," he said. "It represents the
system they used to survive, how they struggled to keep their cultures,
beliefs and traditions alive."

The name also reflects Powless's interest in graffiti, he said, and it
distinguishes the company from similar clothing names on the market.

"It seems every graffiti artist uses the word unique," Powless said. "We
wanted to stand out."

That philosophy is apparent in all of the company's designs, Begay said.
The selling point is the big, bold images on the T-shirts. The young
designers also are expanding the line to include jewelry, skirts, dresses
and shoes — all with a look Begay calls "edgy and fresh."

"The look is what's important," she said. "In the end, people don't really
care who the designers are as long as the clothes look good."

But the couple's Navajo roots could not be ignored, Powless said. After
establishing a name for themselves in Arizona, they returned to Shiprock to
set up shop.

Powless said, the plan is to create a line of clothing that reflects the
American Indian culture while appealing to customers around the world.

"The company is about visualizing a design that appeals to a lot of
people," he said. "It's not so much putting art on a T-shirt, but thinking
more like when this person buys a shirt, they need to relate to it."

Graffiti fans relate to the bold graphics, and American Indians identify
with the feather and Mohawk motifs, Powless said. The style reflects both
cultures, but so far, sales come almost exclusively from off-reservation
fans.

The company grossed nearly $15,000 in sales during its first six months of
business, Begay said. Most of the sales came from Hip Hop or music fans in
the Phoenix area.

Powless and Begay design their clothing in Shiprock, but travel to Phoenix
to print the graphics. Powless carries a stack of comic books and graffiti
magazines with him — it's his inspiration, he said.

The couple markets its apparel to boutiques on the east and west coasts,
and the company hopes to eventually be recognized as the first American
Indian fashion design team to produce clothing for a mainstream audience.

"We just don't want to be put in the category of Native American artists,"
Begay said. "We want to take ourselves out of that and do more mainstream
design."

As the company gains popularity, its founders hope to use it to boost the
reservation's economy, Powless said.

"We can create jobs with this," he said. "We can establish a strong
company, then recruit other Indian designers."

Begay also wants to use the company to inspire other American Indian
artists, she said.

"I lived on the reservation for half of my life," she said. "The only thing
you grow up knowing is that you have to go to college or join the military
in order to succeed. But kids have artistic abilities, and there needs to
be a program to encourage them to go for it."

UN3EK SY5TEM merchandise can be purchased at the Navajo Flea Market in
Shiprock and on-line at www.un3eksy5temclothing.com.

Alysa Landry: alandry@...