Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.

Article content

Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week (VIFW) returns Nov. 20-23 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Featuring the collections of 32 Indigenous designers from throughout the continent, the fashion event aims to forge “links between fashion and Indigenous values, wisdom and history,” according to a news release, with the ultimate goal of “serving as a catalyst for strength, resilience, and fostering understanding and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.”

Article content

New this year, the event will feature 15 Indigenous artisans and designers from the Northwest Territories.

“We are excited to feature designers from the Northwest Territories and introduce our audiences to their distinct style, patterns and colour palette,” Joleen Mitton, VIFW founder and artistic director, said. “Many people from this side of Turtle Island have never visited the Northwest Territories, so these collections will be a rare glimpse into the Indigenous cultures that hail from that part of the world.”

Co-produced by The Wisdom Circle, a collective made up of Indigenous leaders from the three host Nations, xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam); Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish); and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), the VIFW runway shows will take place over four days at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, with a closing party set to take place at Performance Works on Nov. 25.

The fashion events will showcase four themes: Red Dress Event (Nov. 20) to honour “missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and LGBTQ members of our communities”; All My Relations (Nov. 21), featuring “designers from across Turtle Island” who mix “traditional practices” with contemporary esthetics; Indigenous Futures (Nov. 22), celebrating “Indigenous futurism advocates for Indigenous sovereignty”; and Spirit of the West Coast (Nov. 23) to “celebrate designs with a signature West Coast spirit.”

Article content

“VIFW brings our community together for a celebration of who we are today: our beauty, strength and brilliance,” Ginger Gosnell-Myers, Wisdom Circle member, said in the release. “It shows us that we can heal while creating a contemporary urban Indigenous identity through fashion.”

Tickets for the VIFW fashion shows, as well as the Supernatural Kiki Ball closing gala, are available at vifw.ca.

Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited, ad-lite access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.

Share this article in your social network