Indigenous fashion looks beyond fringe, feathers and beads

Indigenous fashion designers are taking on the industry, and looking beyond fringe, feathers and beads. This week on Unreserved, the future of Indigenous fashion. 

Cree and Métis fashion designer Angela DeMontigny's clothing line challenges stereotypes. Her clothing has been showcased at London Fashion Week, and her designs have been met with international demand. 

Sage Paul is a Dene designer and the founder of Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto. She says fashion is a language, and can be used to tell difficult stories. 

When talking about Indigenous fashion, you can't ignore the issue of cultural appropriation. That was a topic of a panel held recently at Indigenous Fashion Week in Toronto. Panelists included CBC columnist Jesse Wente, Cree and Jewish filmmaker and artist Ariel Smith, and fashion and trademark lawyer Anjli Patel. It was hosted by Ojibway PhD student Riley Kucheran, whose research at Ryerson and York University looks at the role clothing plays in colonization.

This week's playlist: 

Buffy Sainte-Marie - Power in the Blood 

Silver Jackson - Perfect Mistake