Squamish Nation designers showcase empowering collections at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week

Squamish Nation sign is seen in this undated file photo.

Every piece of clothing tells a story.

Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chief Chepximiya Siyam (Janice George) carefully wove mountain goat wool together for hours to create a hood as worn by her grandfather when he received his ancestral name.

George’s work is just one of the pieces featured at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week (VIFW) from Nov. 20 to 23. Nearly 30 designers will have their collections on the runway, each telling a story that reflects identity, land and community through art.

“I think it’s really special,” George said. “That’s probably the most meaningful piece, they all are. When you’re weaving, you’re putting your energy and love, whatever you’re feeling at the time.”

This year marks George’s second time in the fashion show. George will have eight pieces featured, each crafted using the technique of Coast Salish wool weaving.

George has been an accomplished weaver and teacher for the past two decades alongside her husband, Skwetsimeltxw (Willard Buddy Joseph), who helped her with this year’s collection.

She graduated from Capilano University and the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, co-organized the first Canada Northwest Coast Weavers Gathering. She's been featured as a TedxTalk leader.

VIFW highlights both traditional and contemporary designs, celebrating Indigenous beauty, resilience and creative brilliance, founder and producer of the fashion show Joleen Mitton stated in a press release.

Mitton founded VIFW in 2017 to bring global recognition to Indigenous fashion designers and artisans, but also to empower First Nation communities and youth. This year’s theme is fire.

“This event is much more than a showcase of incredible fashion. It’s a gathering of culture, community, and future-building, where Indigenous voices lead and the world is invited to witness,” Mitton said. “The goal has always been to elevate Indigenous fashion and provide a platform for designers and artists to be seen, appreciated, and celebrated on their own terms.”

Symbolizing the past

Rebecca Baker-Grenier is a multidisciplinary artist of Squamish, Kwakiuł and Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw ancestory, who will be showcasing her “We Are Warriors” collection – inspired by her ancestors who have protected communities and culture.

The collection includes 13 pieces, each embracing her lineage and culture by drawing upon foreign line design in a way that is accessible for all people, she said.

One of her favourite pieces is “Coming Home,” a copper bodice piece carved from the metal. The piece represents ancestral warriors returning home from battle while also addressing the families who were disconnected or forcibly removed from their territories.

“I hope that with my work I can help to educate people about our history as Indigenous people, about our culture and our current realities that we face,” Baker-Grenier said. “I hope with this capsule collection that people can be excited for what’s to come next.”

Baker-Grenier was 11 when she began creating fashion pieces.

Her work has been featured around the world, from New York Fashion Week to SQAIA Santa Fe Indian Market fashion show.

When she began fashion design in 2021, she apprenticed under established Indigenous designer and artist, Himikalas (Pam Baker).

Baker-Grenier has taken a lot of inspiration from her auntie.

“I had the skills and creativity, but it was her who really pushed me to see that in myself,” Baker-Grenier said. “A lot of what I have done and where I am as a designer is because of her.”

Collection speaks on Coast Salish and Squamish Nation roots

Pam Baker will also be in the show. She has been preparing non-stop leading up to the days of the fashion show.

She will feature nearly 25 pieces of her latest collection “Coast Salish Weaving the Future” on the runway, highlighting her Coast Salish and Squamish Nation roots from her father.

Baker is Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw, Kwakiuł, Tlingit and Haida ancestry on her mother’s side, located on Vancouver Island and Alaska. The pieces are a mix of what she describes as “ready to wear,” incorporating artwork that represents her Coast Salish background, and evening wear showcasing five pieces mixing red, white and gold all using laser cutting.

The fashion designer created her own fashion and jewelry with First Nation West Coast design and was selected as one of the top three designers in Canada to design for the 2010 Olympics Fashion show, creating 40 pieces of regalia for the opening ceremony.

“Since I was young, I focused on my mother’s culture and traditions.… This year I said it’s about time you focused on your dad’s, which is the Coast Salish, the Squamish,” Baker said.

The collection carries a deep history with connections to ancestors fighting for their rights, including her grand grandfather and past Squamish Nation Chief Joe Capilano, and others who wove cedar baskets and blankets.

“Always my main purpose when I started doing this was to educate the world that we’re still here,” Baker said. “My ultimate goal was to uplift our young girls, build self-esteem and self-confidence.”

Changing industry

Baker has been in the industry for 35 years and has seen the industry grow with more Indigenous fashion designers.

“There’s been a slow movement of fashion designers, and I think because of reconciliation and more focus on the issues of our first peoples,” Baker said.

She sees a lot of optimism moving forward in Indigenous designers navigating the industry and moving onto a bigger stage.

But there is also a change on a smaller level.

Two decades ago, George and Joseph only saw one weaver but now see it thrive with more teachers and students getting creative and crafting their own designs.

“I see this as an exciting beginning. Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week has already put Indigenous designers on an international stage. It gives our people an exciting platform to show their creativity, skills, and brilliance in creating not just beautiful but meaningful garments. It makes our youth proud and at times can teach a bit of history,” George said.

VIFW will take place at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. For more information on tickets and the full program, visit vifw.ca.