After a brief hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week (VIFW) has returned for a third year, showcasing the works of 32 indigenous designers at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
In honor of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls and the 2SLGBTQ+ community, guests dressed in red Monday night for the show’s opening Red Dress event, which saw the event’s first fashion shows.
The work of various designers was featured in shows throughout the week with the final show scheduled for Thursday night and the closing event scheduled for December 2.
VIFW brings together indigenous fashion designers from across North America with a mission to “celebrate and make visible indigenous arts, culture, community and wisdom” and “facilitate indigenous-allied relationships through collaboration, education and representation,” according to his website.
CBC Vancouver reporter Vincent Papequash shows off their parade:
CBC visits Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week
CBC Vancouver reporter Vincent Papequash talks with Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week founder Joleen Mitton and learns how models walk the runway.
The event, which started in 2017, was founded by Joleen Mitton, who is of Plains Cree, French and Scottish heritage.
Mitton, who grew up in East Vancouver, says there has been a resurgence in indigenous fashion after the first VIFW in 2017.
“I think it’s much more visible,” Mitton told CBC’s Stephen Quinn on The Early Edition ahead of the opening.
“Vancouver Aboriginal Fashion Week is the first Aboriginal fashion week, not the first Aboriginal fashion show for sure,” he said. “Many people borrow our designs that are not indigenous.”
Pam Baker, designer and co-producer at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week 2022. (CBC)
Himikalas Pam Baker, producer of VIFW and founder of the Touch of Culture/TOC Legends clothing brand, says that in previous years, “a lot of people just wanted to know what was going on.
“And now that we’re on our third show, there’s a lot of excitement about this show, because we’ve invited designers from all over, we say Turtle Island, North America,” Himikalas Pam Baker, who is Squamish, Kwakiutl, Tlingit, and Haida. they said in The Early Edition.
“There’s excitement in seeing and also being educated about the differences and the creations of all the different designers.”
On the coast9:13What to expect at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week
Yolonda Skelton joins us to dig deeper into this year’s lineup.
‘A protector’ of stories through fashion: designer
Yolonda Skelton, a member of the Gitxsan Nation and founder of the clothing brand Sugiit Lukxs Designs, says she uses art and fashion to tell stories.
“A lot of my work comes from traditional stories that were taught to me by my grandmother, my aunts and uncles. It’s in our culture,” Skelton told On The Coast guest presenter Margaret Gallagher.
“I’m kind of an ambassador and a protector… bringing those stories to life so they’re passed down to the next generation, sort of a mentor.
“I feel like fashion is a safe way,” added Skelton, whose work was featured in one of VIFW’s opening night shows.
“It is a very expressive and safe way to have a dialogue for reconciliation.”
‘Fashion is not for the weak’
VIFW also includes a mentoring program that provides training to 16 indigenous youth and adults for eight weeks. The program aims to connect trainees with mentors in fashion design and event production in the industry.
Mitton hopes VIFW will inspire people to go to fashion school.
“Fashion is not for the weak, it’s for the strong. And to be able to make money from that is really hard,” Mitton said.
the early edition6:58Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week kicks off today after a two-year hiatus
Nearly three dozen Aboriginal fashion designers will show their new collections at Vancouver Aboriginal Fashion Week, which begins today. We hear more about it from the show’s co-producers.
“So, it’s like you’re going into a business, you have to put in your thousand hours.”
Baker adds that there are many parts of the industry to consider.
“There may be a person who is a fantastic seamstress who could work with a design house and gain experience. You also have the coordinators, you also have lighting technicians, you have music.”
Source: news.google.com