A virtual panel discussion on Indigenous fashion, from two clothing designers, a fashion researcher, and a moosehide tanner.

In this virtual panel discussion, two clothing designers, a fashion researcher, and an artist who teaches traditional moose hide tanning will discuss heritage and traditional craftsmanship, design influences, the cultural importance of clothing, sustainability, and more.

Moderator

Himikalas/Pamela Baker has been showcasing her one-of-a-kind pieces since 1988 through her brands Touch of Culture and Copperknot Jewelry. She designed regalia for Squamish representatives to wear at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She is on a lifelong journey to provide First Nations people a stage to showcase their culture, mentor Indigenous youth, and work with her Squamish community.

Panelists

Riley Kucheran is an Indigenous fashion researcher who supports a global community of Indigenous makers who are leading design resurgence. His experience in fashion retail, entrepreneurship and Indigenous theory means he sees fashion as a powerful tool for decolonization: Land-based Indigenous design relies on community relations to collectively make clothing in respectful and reciprocal ways. He is a member of Biigtigong Nishnaabeg (Pic River First Nation) and an Assistant Professor of Design Leadership in Fashion at The Creative School at X University (formerly Ryerson).

Melaw Nakehk’o is a Dene/Dënesųłiné artist based out of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. She’s had a distinguished career as an artist, community leader, filmmaker and actor. She is recognized for her exemplary work in reviving and teaching moosehide tanning techniques. This work has initiated a resurgence of the practice, shaping a broader community building movement within Canada (#revolutionmoosehide). She is a founding member of Dene Nahjo.

Warren Steven Scott, a 33-year-old from Toronto, Canada, is a contemporary designer, tailor, and craftsperson, and a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation whose territory is located in the interior of present-day British Columbia. He launched his namesake label in 2018 with his first collection as a part of the inaugural Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto. The brand was created to sustain and celebrate Scott’s Indigenous culture, and to create a community united by contemporary design. Scott’s artistic methodology roots itself in ideas surrounding Western concepts of luxury fashion and his ancestral worldview on ethics, craft, and aesthetic sensibility.

This event will be held live on YouTube and is free of charge.

For tickets, register here