Edmonton’s Indigenous Fashion Week grew from a single day at Western Canadian Fashion Week in 2019 into a full-blown event of its own, celebrating the creativity of Indigenous designers and artists.
It grew from a grassroots effort to elevate Indigenous designers, create an active Indigenous fashion hub and promote positivity around Indigenous culture.
Featuring events from runway shows and a vendor hall to networking opportunities and live performances, the week is equal parts industry event and cultural celebration. This year, the second annual Edmonton Indigenous Fashion Week was held at the Blatchford Field Air Hangar from March 25 to 28.
The Indigenous Empowerment Fashion Collective, the group behind the event, plans to expand 2027’s fashion week.
“This year the event featured 15 designers from across Canada, and we also had performers, from Inuit throat singers and powwow to DJs, fiddling, jigging,” says Heather Bouchier, creative director of Edmonton’s Indigenous Fashion Week and a clothing designer. “We even had a designer come from Haida Gwaii.”
The goal was to highlight the work of Indigenous designers and artists within the community, and introduce people outside of the fashion industry to the Indigenous talent and culture within Canadian fashion. Bouchier hopes that more non-Indigenous people will attend the event and learn about Indigenous culture. At the heart of the celebration is the many Indigenous people working in the fashion industry — from designers to models to photographers to makeup artists, Indigenous Fashion Week is a major networking opportunity.
“We’re working towards making it a world-class event and inspiring young artists and designers by bringing world-renowned Indigenous designers and performers and creating more opportunities to sell their work,” says Bouchier.
For fashion enthusiasts, the event is an opportunity to discover the innovative ways Indigenous designers are incorporating Indigenous culture and history into their designs — and an exciting new way to shop local and get inspired.
