Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week is back to celebrate Indigenous style | CBC News

After a brief hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week (VIFW) has returned for its third year, showcasing the works of 32 Indigenous designers at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. 

In honour of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and the 2SLGBTQ+ community, guests wore red Monday night for the show-opening Red Dress Event, which saw the first few fashion shows of the event.

The work of several designers were featured in runway shows all week with the final show scheduled for Thursday evening, and the closing event set for Dec. 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 to “facilitate Indigenous-Ally relationships through collaboration, education and representation,” according to its website.

The event, which began 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’s been a resurgence of Indigenous fashion after the first VIFW in 2017. 

“I think just like, it’s way more visible,” Mitton told CBC’s Stephen Quinn on The Early Edition ahead of the opening.

“Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week is the first ever Indigenous fashion week, it’s not the first Indigenous fashion show for sure,” she said. “A lot of people borrow our designs that are not Indigenous.”

Himikalas Pam Baker, VIFW producer and founder of clothing brand Touch of Culture/TOC Legends, says previous years saw “a lot of individuals just wanting to know what’s going on.

“And now that we’re into our third show, there’s a great 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, said on The Early Edition.

“There’s an excitement to see and also be educated about the differences and the creations of all of the different designers.”

‘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 utilizes art and fashion to tell stories.

“A lot of my work comes from traditional stories that I was taught by my grandmother and my aunties and my uncles. It’s in our culture,” Skelton told On The Coast guest host Margaret Gallagher.

“I’m kind of like an ambassador and a protector … bringing those stories to life so that they get passed down to the next generation, so sort of a mentorship.

“I feel that fashion is a safe way,” added Skelton, whose work was featured in one of VIFW’s runway shows on opening night.

“It’s a very expressive and safe way to have a dialogue for reconciliation.”

‘Fashion is not for the weak’

VIFW also includes a mentorship program that provides 16 Indigenous youth and adults with training over eight weeks. The program aims to connect mentees with mentors in fashion design and event production in the industry.

Mitton hopes VIFW inspires people to go into fashion school.

“Fashion is not for the weak, it’s for the strong. And like to be able to make money at it, it’s really hard,” Mitton said.

“So, it’s like you’re going into a business, you have to do your thousand hours.”

Baker adds there are many parts of the industry to consider. 

“There may be an individual who’s a fantastic seamstress that could work with a design house and get experience. You also have the co-ordinators, you also have lighting technicians, you have music.”