The journey of rebranding and the story behind the new Native Threads logo.
For those of you who have followed and loved Native Threads for decades I think it's safe to say the new logo (pictured above) is nothing like the old one. When we decided to set out on the journey of buying Native Threads and making it our own we knew we needed to rebrand. The old school native threads built a name based on their classic streetwear and we knew we wanted to take it further than clothes.
Our ultimate goal as owners of Native Threads is to do work within the community by using our clothing as a gateway. As our brand rebuilds and starts to come into its own we envision working with various artists and community organizations to continue to make Indian Country the best it can be. We also want to work towards making our brand as sustainable as possible, this means looking for places we can source organic and sustainable materials, as well as dyes that don't pollute waterways. Currently this is a work in progress and we can only get better as time goes on.
Anyway, on to the logo and why we picked the elements we did. I can't remember who came up with the concept, I think we each brought something to it. If you've spent time around Indigenous basketry, specifically basketry from what is known as California the colors and design might strike a chord of familiarity with you. Below we're going to break the logo down element by element so stick with me.
The first really noticeable element, at least to us are the faces in the design. Each of these faces represents one of us. The two sisters behind the business. Each one is different but similar, we each bring our own strengths and personalities to the table and make something beautiful together. We also realize that Indian country is an unbelievably diverse place. You've got urban natives and rez natives. There are our Afro-Indigenous kin, Asian-Indigenous kin, and those of us who have European ancestry. We want our brand to represent all of us, all of the beauty this diversity offers, especially when the lack of acceptance across the board is in the spotlight. Right now we all need to come together because in the end we are ALL Indigenous and we are all relatives.
Next is the background to the entire design, the half moon. This design element pays homage to our grandfather. His middle name is Halfmoon and without him we wouldn't be taking on this venture. He taught us to be proud of who we are. told us stories we'll never forget, and supported us no matter what we did. This is our way to honr him and remind ourselves to stay humble along the way.
I'm sure you noticed the triangles dividing the faces of the two sisters, along with the earthy colors used in the design. These two elements are our nod to where we grew up. The colors are colors you see in traditional basketry. The colors of plants and earth. The warm browns that bring comfort. The triangles are a design that can be seen in baskets throughout California. This particular pattern is the Sturgeon pattern and comes from the Yurok people.
So there you have it, the meaning behind our new logo and how it stands to remind us of who we are, where we come from, and what we are committed to doing for our people. We hope you love it as much as we do! If not, we're going to have a lot of shirts and other merch we need to find another use for...