Sewing A Story: Codijo Chebon Yazzie

Heritage. It is part of the foundation that helps make us who we are. However, many people have foregone these traditions or have had them stolen away. Luckily, many individuals have tried to reconnect with the cultures they have lost, and one such man is Codijo Chebon Yazzie, a photographer and fashion designer of Diné (Navajo), Kiowa and Comanche heritage from Logan.

“I was raised in New Mexico in the Navajo Nation,” he explains. “My Clans are ‘Honey Combed Rock Edgewater’ and ‘Red Running into Water.’” It is his connection to his heritage that inspired him to start his own business, Chebon Designs: a fashion company that puts a focus on clothes made with Indigenous designs and beadwork.

“Each piece I create is more than an accessory; it is a statement of resilience, beauty and pride.”

Yazzie comes from a long line of artists. “My third great-grandfather [1860–1940] is Haungooah ‘Silver Horn,’” he says, “[He] was a Kiowa Indian Ledger artist from Oklahoma famous for his painting on hides and made a Pictorial calendar for the Kiowa tribe to record events and seasons just like how our calendars look today. His paintings are in the Smithsonian Museum.” Silver Horn was merely the beginning. Along with his grandfather, Art Cody Haungooah, a potter, Yazzie’s mother, Rosine “Cody” “RoTree” Tree, and his sister Cheyleen are also artists and taught Yazzie beadwork and sewing, whilst his grandmother taught him the importance of their cultural stories.

As his mother was a part of many fashion shows, he grew up in the industry, and it inspired him to fill what he saw was absent: menswear. He explains that “I would go to events and powwows and noticed there wasn’t anything like beaded ties for men. Women’s fashion, like ribbon skirts, was everywhere, and there were bolos for men but no other ties. So, I learned beadwork. At first, it was sloppy, but I got better. I started with scraps and then built up my skills. Now I make ties, hats and shirts. I have customers tell me that they’ve never seen work like these before. I get sales from Canada to New York. I even built a relationship with Taboo, from the Black Eyed Peas, who orders ties from me.”

Now Yazzie makes dream catchers, jewelry, handbags, horse masks, elk masks and more using Indigenous fabrics, materials (including deer bones, buck skin, porcupine quills, buffalo horns and horse hair) and patterns. These include prayer sites of mountains and mesas, teepees, animals, celestial bodies, the four seasons and directions and medicinal flowers. His works have made him a contributor to local and national events for Indigenous fashion, including in California, South Dakota and Ohio (specifically The Four Winds Great Miami Indigenous Fashion Show) as well as Jessica Wiarda’s Utah Indigenous Fashion Week in Salt Lake City.

“My work reflects the stories, symbols and strength of my people.”

Still, Yazzie remains humble about his work and thanked all of those he worked with for his role in the fashion community. During our interview, he described to me how his priority was ensuring his models, often inexperienced due to a lack of opportunity for Native men, are relaxed, as the focus should be on positivity and a love of their culture, not perfection.

In a world that in his words, “forgets or doesn’t believe Native culture still exists,” Yazzie wishes to pass down his heritage to young Indigenous people who deserve to be proud of their culture, while also showing off the beauty of it to non-Native groups, who need to see the founders of this nation.

“My work reflects the stories, symbols and strength of my people. Each piece I create is more than an accessory; it is a statement of resilience, beauty and pride,” Yazzie says. “When younger, I didn’t really care about [my heritage], but as I got older, I cared more. It amazes me how far back it goes. Now, I sit down with the Elders and discuss our stories… I want to be part of their history.”

Read more about designers in the local fashion scene:
Rave Meets Runway: A New SLC Designer Redefines Modern Rave Wear
SLUG Style: James Newbold

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