It was nearing 7 a.m. on Diné Bikéyah, Navajo land, when Hud Oberly arrived on set for the Polo Ralph Lauren x Naiomi Glasses photo shoot, as the first model to be shot for the entire brand collaboration. Oberly was wearing bold, contemporary colors inspired by the red rocks and colorful skies of Dinétah for the ‘Color in Motion’ collection, and his easygoing manner fit the location well—a skate park in Phoenix, Ariz., where Glasses and Polo RL had planned a shoot showcasing traditional designs alongside the modern, contemporary side of Natives, as highlighted by skateboarding culture.
Photographer Ryan RedCorn got Oberly in frame and began setting up the first shot, going back and forth with the Ralph Lauren crew as Oberly observed. An entrepreneur himself, Oberly has his own fashion brand focused on art and environmentalism, Here’s to You, and he was both excited to support Glasses, who is his friend, and to witness the dynamics of a high-production fashion shoot.
Glasses handpicked Oberly for the shoot, and said his name came to mind immediately during early planning. In the campaign images, he embodies the youthful spirit of being able to play and have fun—what the collection is all about, said Glasses. “I’m pretty flow-with-the-wind with modeling,” said the model, who said he likes to orient himself toward new experiences.
RedCorn’s work drew the designer’s eye for its balance of stoicism and joy, she said. “It’s so beautiful, and you can really see that throughout the campaign images.” Oberly is also friends with RedCorn, but it was his first time being photographed by the artist.
As RedCorn adjusted lighting to highlight the bright blue of Oberly’s shirt, a color referencing Glasses’ signature weaving experimentation with aniline dyes, he teased Oberly with inside jokes. “Ryan was hilarious,” said Oberly. “He’ll say things to make you laugh, Osage words and phrases and stuff like that, calling out people’s names from the dances. He was even pulling jabs like Zonzoli^, Waxakoli^, Hominy and Pawhuska rivalry, district rivalries.”
While the two worked, Polo Ralph Lauren’s Design with Intent team made the decision to include Oberly in another shoot, the Holiday Collection drop, which would be shot the following day.
Oberly had traveled to the Arizona shoot from New York, where a flexible marketing job allowed him to stay another day no problem. He has a strong sense of when something will lead to new opportunities, he said, and Glasses’ collaboration with RL was easily one of those instances. “I think [it’s] that gut feeling or whatever, there’s an inkling and sometimes the excitement is like, ‘I don’t know what could happen from this, but it just feels like something can.’”
His leading value in life is being open, he said. For some time, his goal has been “just to live an exciting life,” he said—although that wording bothers him. “How simple that is. Just those words. It could be a little more prophetic,” he said.
“But I’ve never desired one job title or one thing, it’s like does this fit into that?” Modeling fits into Oberly’s desire to connect genuinely with people, both his current friends and new, different connections. “I don’t like to lead a very homogenous life,” he reflected.
After finishing his portion of the shoot, he hung around in the air-conditioned trailers, quietly expressing interest in the creative process and bonding with a RL team member who shared his alma mater of the University of Oklahoma. The Design with Intent team liked him, urging him to stay in touch after the shoot; back in New York, he did and the team invited him to join them in their office for co-working sessions. “I think as long as it’s mutual, I do that wherever I go,” Oberly said of seeking to connect with people.
For Glasses, having Oberly there, as well as other friends and family members, made her feel both comfortable and confident. She modeled in the shoots, too, another interest that she and Oberly have in common in addition to their passion for art and design. They met online in 2020 during the pandemic, and later hosted a New York Fashion Week event. Their friendship has remained strong since.
At the end of their first day on set, Glasses and Oberly convened with other models for video shots. Glasses said she just kept thinking, “this is a dream come true.”
Her dream is opening up opportunities and education for other Natives and will continue to do so. To young Natives, she advised, “Never give up on your art. When my grandmother first taught me to weave, I never could have imagined that it would become a career, or lead to designing a line of clothes with a global fashion brand. You really never know what opportunities are out there.”
Oberly has faith in continued new opportunities, as well. “Since Ralph Lauren, I’m not making decisions based on wanting to get signed. I think that would be cool, but I am jumping on opportunities I see that I do feel like doing,” he said. Sometimes, that means he is just wanting “to switch it up.”
“I just did a shoot being an extra in a fashion film. I kind of knew the people involved and it was like, ‘let me just do this to switch up the vibe,’” said Oberly.
Oberly and Glasses are both kind, dedicated professionals who have fully met the opportunities that came with Glasses’ Ralph Lauren collaboration.
Oberly’s intention is to remain open to what’s next and lately, it’s been on his mind to grow his modeling portfolio. That will likely involve homegrown collabs, as well as more professional industry work. But he remains “flow-with-the-wind” about it.
Look for the third chapter of the Polo Ralph Lauren x Naiomi Glasses Collection in mid-August 2024. To check out Hud Oberly’s brand Here’s to You, visit https://herestoyouh2y.com. Shop the ‘Color in Motion’ drop at https://www.ralphlauren.com/brands-prl-artist-in-residence-drop2-feat and read about drop 1 here.
