Stunning Accessories from 5 Indigenous Designers You Need to Know
Add a little flair to your travel wardrobe with help from some of Canada’s top Indigenous designers.
- Warren Steven Scott —
When the Toronto–based, White Rock, B.C.–born fashion designer, a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation, designed earrings as part of his womenswear collection debut at Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto in 2018, he didn’t know they would steal the show. Now, the striking acrylic and sterling silver earrings featuring shapes often found in Salish art, like ovoids, crescents and trigons, are his signature. Warren Steven Scott Mixed Ovoids Rose Mirror Large Earrings, $70
- Jordan Bennett —
The Terence Bay, Nova Scotia–based Mi’kmaq visual artist, originally from Newfoundland (Ktaqamkuk), is usually exhibiting his multidisciplinary work around the world, from the Musée d’art contemporain du Val–de–Marne in Paris to the Winnipeg Art Gallery – but he regularly collaborates with brands for special product launches. This scarf, part of a limited–edition collection he created for an exhibit at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, is inspired by the geometric patterns found in porcupine quillwork. The Jordan Bennett Collection Seasons Through Black and White Scarf, $55
- Anne Mulaire —
Winnipeg–born and –based Andréanne Mulaire Dandeneau draws on her Ojibwe–French heritage and her background as a contemporary dancer and costume designer to make comfortable, fashion–forward pieces, such as leggings, blazers, tunics, as well as accessories, like this belt featuring traditional Métis beadwork. Handmade by Métis artists using glass beads, the belt’s arrow print symbolizes trading between Métis and First Nations peoples. Anne Mulaire Beaded Belt Arrow Black and White, $250
- Jamie Gentry Designs —
Moccasin–making was always a dream of Sooke, B.C.– based Jamie Gentry, member of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation, so, in 2014, she launched her own made–to–order line, which she cuts, sews, beads and embosses by hand. Styles range from this simple cork moose hide pair to a gold moose hide bootie with beaded turtles. Jamie Gentry Designs Cork Moose Hide Pucker Toe Moccasins, $120
- Ahlazua x Catherine Blackburn —
Jewellery designers Rykelle Kemp, the Arizona–based Choctaw, Euchee–Mvskoke Creek and Diné founder of Ahlazua, and Catherine Blackburn, of Saskatchewan’s English River First Nation, joined forces to create a collection of pieces combining their mediums (metalwork and beadwork) and heritages – like this one–of–a–kind bolo featuring a sterling silver bezel and rare and vintage beads. Ahlazua x Catherine Blackburn bolos, from US$650
