. The 40-year-old leader, activist, and fashion entrepreneur, who is claimed by the Plains Cree and Dane-zaa from the Sawridge Nation in Alberta, began her career in the industry as a model at the age of 15, when she began working around the world for brands like, and Clinique. She discovered early on that the seemingly glamorous world of high fashion and luxury had an ugly side, facing constant reminders that it certainly wasn’t built with her or other Indigenous people in mind.
Haida Gwaii, the creation of the agency was a way to protect the people he loved and a way to invest in their community. “We've had to grow slower because we weren't willing to accept every single contract that went our way,” he says, noting that they’ve turned down jobs because the companies had business practices that were environmentally harmful to their homelands or because the bookings were tokenizing or reliant on harmful stereotypes.
Talaysay Campo, a 25-year-old model who belongs to the Seashell and Squamish Nation on the West Coast of Canada, has known Joleen since she was 14 years old. That foundation of trust made the decision to work with Supernaturals a no-brainer.