The Story of the very First Warrior Ribbon Shirt
where the idea came from
Traditional Ribbon Shirt, above,
as a child sized mock-up
it's only toddler size - easier to write off if i messed it up even though i was so sure of the experiment's outcome that i photographed the mock-up without even side seams
...then emailed my friend a picture with an explanation that i wanted to make ribbon shirts, that this was my first attempt ever, and was i on track?
His response was immediate and told me
that i'd nailed it -
"This one's mine, itabee"
i told him i knew that - that he'd been its inspiration --
later, working on his shirt, i began to combine skills and developed the 'ribbon jewelry' which began the idea of taking the traditional ribbon shirt to a whole new level and leading me to coin the 'warrior' distinction.
below mock-up and final product side by side
The idea of a Warrior Ribbon Shirt first began life
as a phrase:"a cloak of healing" is what i heard
from the intuitive me who was curious to see if the designer me, from just a bit of personal client info (birthdate, clan, etc.), could create a shirt with undeniable resonance to that person --
i picked a Chickasaw friend -
even though on a very deep level he is a brother,
in this life we've never met outside of cyberspace -
it was a perfect guinea pig situation ...
without his knowing i designed this mock-up shirt,
at left ...
below, NHT's first Warrior Ribbon Shirt
below: when i was asked for a do-rag to match his shirt,
i discovered there is versus between that and a skullcap -
i didn't know his preference, and i wanted to surprise him
so he got one of each!
(note: do-rag comes down lower on skull)
-NHT
©2015
all rights reserved
designed for Chief Dwaine Perry of the Ramapough Lunaape Nation
click here for NHT's "Wolfsong" ancestor shirt,
designed for a British musician dedicated to bringing American Indian culture to his fellow Brits ...