Latest news with #AuthenticallyIndigenous
CTV News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Southcentre Mall highlights Indigenous fashion for National Indigenous History month
Southcentre Mall's centre court has a display of work from Indigenous designers for the month of June, which is National Indigenous History Month. Southcentre Mall is putting the spotlight on Indigenous style with a cultural display, fashion show and market. All of the events will happen in the mall's centre court in June in celebration of National Indigenous History month. They're organized by Authentically Indigenous, a local group founded by sisters Autumn and Melrene Saloy-EagleSpeaker that focusses on Indigenous creativity, arts and culture. Melrene says the mall's cultural display will have 10 outfits created by Indigenous designers. 'Our Indigenous designers, our Inuit designers, all have amazing stories of their heritage and their culture and their blood memory that they want to share with the world,' she said. 'What we do is, we take these traditions and colors and patterns, and we incorporate it in today's fashion using modern elements of using sewing machines and other amazing things.' Melrene says all the designers incorporate old and new elements to make something interesting and fresh. 'It's an amazing step in reconciliation,' she said. 'Sometimes culturally based events and things can be a little intimidating, and fashion is an amazing opener. We're able to open up dialog and talk about our stories and where we come from, and to see what we've been doing for so long and the amazing people we are today.' Melrene is also a designer who shows her garments on runways around the world and uses traditional items like sage and sweetgrass in her work. She says for her, designing is her own personal medicine, and she enjoys creating and showing pieces that her uniquely hers. 'It's kind of my way of saying that I'm a Blackfoot artist, of where I come from in the traditional sense, that's inside my pieces.' Risa Fritz just opened the Brass Buffalo Trading Post and Gallery in Longview, Alta., south of Calgary. She says her style is a blend of her Indigenous culture with western cowboy lifestyle, something she's excited to show off. 'I've sat quietly at home doing alterations and hiding my talent and not pursuing my dreams,' she said. 'So, this opportunity is huge for me. I'm so excited to be a part of this and I'm looking forward to showing people my work.' Fritz says she takes from her Metis background and incorporates beadwork into buffalo and elk hide to create wearable art. 'It means so much to me to piece things that are from the land, from the culture, things that I have got from my family,' she said. 'Maybe my family has had a hand in harvesting the animal or creating the antler or the hides… and then blending it with my ideas or my vision of what I see for the piece.' The cultural display will run from June 1 to 23. The Indigenous Artisan Market will take place on Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7. The fashion show, called Rez in the City 2.0, will be held from 8 to 10 p.m. on June 22. Tickets are available for purchase online through Show Pass.
Calgary Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Indigenous fashion takes centre stage at Southcentre Mall
Article content With National Indigenous History Month underway, a local organization dedicated to celebrating Indigenous creativity, arts and culture has brought a culturally themed fashion exhibit to Calgary's Southcentre Mall. Article content Authentically Indigenous launched its fashion-forward exhibit at the mall Tuesday, featuring outfits created by 10 Indigenous designers from across Canada. Article content Article content Article content The outfits will be on display in the mall's centre court until June 22 — the day after National Indigenous Peoples Day — when the exhibit culminates with a fashion show titled Rez in the City 2.0. The fashion show, which opens at 8 p.m., will see models strut the catwalk while donning the creator's designs. Article content Melrene Saloy-Eaglespeaker, co-founder of Authentically Indigenous, is one of the 10 fashion designers whose work will be on display at the mall this month. The Calgary-based Kainai Nation member's company, Native Diva Creations, combines intricate beadwork with contemporary flair. Article content Article content Another local designer whose work will be featured is Destiny Weasel Fat, who is also a Kainai Nation member. Her pieces aim to empower Indigenous people to reclaim their identity and boost their confidence and cultural pride. Article content Article content Saloy-Eaglespeaker said she took up fashion design five years ago, after previously working in jewelry design, and hasn't looked back. Article content 'I didn't feel that my story was being fully told just by showcasing jewelry,' she said. 'I wanted to really give that full element of who I am, where I come from and the elements that make up who I am. Making an entire garment, head to toe, is (a way) for me to do that.' Article content That sentiment is echoed by the outfits on display at Southcentre Mall, which incorporate fabric, beadwork, and silhouette, with pieces that Saloy-Eaglespeaker said honour traditional Indigenous dress while still embracing modern design. Article content As an example, she cited one designer's conversion of a traditional ribbon skirt into an Indigenized pant suit.
