International Indigenous Fashion Week, Inc.

Kaska Dena Designs

When I create, it comes from the place of honouring those that have taught me what I know to be true. The land heals us, nourishes us, inspires us; it is our home. To be inspired by the environment is to see the natural beauty it offers us and reflect its warmth, colours, and peace for us to appreciate once more.

When I create, it comes from the heart. A place of calmness, creativity, and love for my culture. The strength and fighting spirit of my grandparents are what gives my work its unique beauty. As I sew, memories of those I love are stitched in every piece I make. When they wear the clothing I make, my customers feel the confidence, pride, and beauty my grandparents have taught. This is what makes my clothes so unique.

When I create, it is not only about me. It is also about providing a legacy that appreciates,
and protects, the traditions that have defined me and my ancestors. In celebrating my culture, I can pass it down to future generations. When my customers wear my designs, they support me as an independent artist. This means providing for my daughter and myself.

In being independent, I can do what I love.

Sougi SinLa Natasha Peter

Eco Tripping Designs

Sandra Prest Froher is a Coast Salish Artist, Designer, and Natural Dyer, who lives and works on the traditional ancestral and unceded territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt nations. She was born in Terrace BC and currently resides in Victoria on Vancouver Island and she is a member of Skwah First Nations in the Fraser Valley.

Sandra’s garments are Contemporary Couture fashion co - created with Mother Earth to hold the stories of her Coast Salish culture and the importance of “The Rooted Ones” (plants). She approaches her creative process with her ancestors in mind, mutual respect for nature and the World we all live in never taking more than she needs in order to respect and honour the Earth. Sandra has a deep understanding of how she is connected to her creations. Sandra connects with nature much like her ancestors did by walking , foraging and gathering organic materials to begin her natural dye process. Her fashion-line focusses on organic materials, harnessing sustainable living colour from plants,

roots, barks, acorns, and stems. Through a ritual of care and labour Sandra bundles the organic materials into cloth wrapping tightly with string before steaming over hot water for many hours. Sandra produces “Order To Wear” fashion making small batches of carefully curated raw materials in order to leave the Earth a better place for generations to come.

Sandra believe that her fashion is a conduit that keeps her culture strong and connects the

present with the past.

C. Lysias Designs

Stephanie Grace Gamble is the Owner and Operator of CLD Fashion Studios and C. Lysias

Designs, an Indigenous Owned fashion and wellness brand located in Saskatoon, SK. She is a self-taught Fashion Designer, Youth Worker, and Motivational Speaker. Stephanie is a proud mother to two daughters, Micaiah and Emerson, both of whom are very supportive, loving, and helpful. Stephanie was faced with a difficult past and fashion design became a coping mechanism and a creative outlet to help her heal, self express, and connect her to her faith. It has always been her passion to share her teachings through community and youth involvement. Stephanie loves to travel to different communities, educating and inspiring youth by sharing her story, and encouraging them to follow their passion for fashion. Stephanie has attended fashion events such as: Couture Fashion Week New York, RISE Fashion New York, and Sask Fashion Week - where she won the SFW x Mosaic Indigenous Award for her "Rise of the Phoenix" Collection. Stephanie continues to use her fashion platform to inspire, raise awareness, and create change by paving the way for young people to get into the fashion industry.

Tishynah Buffalo Designs

Tishynah Buffalo is an Indigenous fashion designer from Alexander First Nation in Treaty 6 territory, Canada. She is married to the love of her life and has 3 beautiful children. She is a self-taught her self to sew at a young age and always had a passion for sewing, beading, quilling and designing clothes. Her first fashion show was Fashion Speaks Regina 2015 where she started with Pendleton Chief Joseph design wool blankets and it has has lead her to experience NYC fashion week in 2016, London Fashion Week 2017 and number of other fashion shows. Her designs encompass her Cree culture with beadwork, quill work, haute couture and a flair of bling that sparkles. She loves to showcase the diversity of her Indigenous culture with models of all shapes, sizes and colours.