Six Indigenous fashion designers flew from Canada to Milan to show their work to the world during Milan Fashion Week. The designers represent a range of Indigenous nations and communities, from Toronto to Winnipeg to Yukon.
Milan is an especially suitable place to showcase these designers, this work. “There’s a history here, of the trade and of the craftsmanship and creativity with textiles and clothing. I think that appreciation is really important for our communities,” says Paul. “For too long, our work has been undervalued. We come from a history of colonization and tokenism and commodification of our own artworks, and we are having to change that understanding of the value of our work.
Paul also organized an industry dinner so the designers could chat properly with selected top buyers. “The goal is that they make long-term relationships, because that could mean returning sales, entry points into collaborations with other designers, new markets around the world,” she explains. Ultimately, the goal is to build a future of opportunity. “I want to see a stable space in the industry for Indigenous people,” says Paul.
Of course, Hampton can still turn out a show-stopping gown. One, featuring dramatic cape-like sleeves in her signature pleats, is made of lightweight dark denim. “It’s our version of the Canadian tuxedo,” she says dryly. Another is turquoise, sheer and embellished with delicate flowers that are actually made of feathers; Hampton wore a magenta version as a guest judge on Canada’s Drag Race.
The new bomber jackets reflect Louis’s college baseball days and were produced in collaboration with gold-standard maker Golden Bear in San Francisco. They’re hefty and perfectly finished; they’re also adorned with twinkling stars that represent ancestors who have passed on, a leaping horse that also features on Louis’s powwow regalia, and lettering that reads “Made on stolen land.”
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