Indigenous people have a beautiful, communal view of fashion and pass down culture and designs and share their work with each other, says Indigenous Fashion Arts' artistic and executive director Sage Paul.Left to right: designers Evan Ducharme, Sage Paul and Lesley Hampton travelled to Milan in February for Milan Fashion Week. Paul is the executive and artistic director of Indigenous Fashion Arts.
In 2015, Paul co-founded Setsuné, a women-led Indigenous fashion incubator that promoted the development and skills of young Indigenous women and mothers in fashion, textiles and crafting.Indigenous artist Sage Paul's childhood in Gabriel Dumont laid the foundation for her work today Indigenous artists have seen their traditions, crafts and designs copied for many years and Paul believes it's crucial that Indigenous designers be seen and heard to curtail this problem.
After her first runway show in Toronto, which featured diverse and inclusive bodies, Hampton realized that there was a hunger for diversity in fashion. In 2020, Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto released a limited edition capsule wardrobe with Quebec-based retailer Simons featuring Indigenous designers, including Evan Ducharme. His work for the partnership featured embroidery, some of which was done in his home community of St. Ambroise, with community and family members.