Naiomi Glasses on weaving together Native American art, skateboarding and Ralph Lauren

In a remote house in the northeast corner of Arizona, among the red rocks and vast expanses of the Navajo Nation, you'll hear a beat so steady it keeps nearly perfect time. Hour after hour, day after day, artist Naiomi Glasses sits on her floor in silence, weaving at her loom. "It's very meditative," she said. "And having to do these repetitive motions, you kind of just get into a trance. It really is a great time to just sit and think."

The 26-year-old thinks about the six generations of family weavers who have come before her, passing down this rich Native American tradition. Now, those designs (which can take months to make and cost thousands) have caught the attention of the fashion world, in particular Ralph Lauren, a brand Glasses always wore as a kid and dreamed of someday working with, but never thought possible. "I definitely dreamt of it while weaving," she said.

It may seem like an improbable journey for a shy girl from Arizona who was mercilessly bullied as a five-year-old for having a cleft palate. To escape the torment, Glasses found solace on a skateboard. "It's always been a safe space where I feel like I can be myself, learning how to be even more confident," she said.