IFAF Celebrates Indigenous Fashion Arts at the Eaton Centre| Designlines

Festival co-founder Sage Paul shares the importance of celebrating Indigenous craft

The Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival (IFAF), curated by Wanda Nanibush (Anishinaabe), Melanie Egan, and Sage Paul (Denesuline), focuses on realizing the visions of the past and future with its central concept of reverence and conviction, which will be encompassed by runway shows, marketplace vendors and panels from May 30 to June 2.

“It’s about sustaining our practices and traditions,” says Sage Paul, co-founder of Indigenous Fashion Arts, the practice behind the festival and executive director of IFAF. “In terms of bringing our communities together, especially in the fashion and art disciplines, we are creating space for ourselves and our stories and experience to be told and thrive.”

Celebrating its fourth edition this year, the biennial fashion and arts festival amplifies the artistic integrity and value of Indigenous trade work and fashion.

“We can show our joy, sorrows and stories through our runway shows, which I feel are more like fashion performances as well as through the marketplace where we have 70 vendors showcasing Indigenous-made works,” says Paul.

This year, IFAF is taking over a new venue—the Eaton Centre.

The team behind IFAF goes through the selection process for vendors, artists, designers, models and speakers in a curatorial way, determining themes based on submissions. “My upbringing as an Indigenous woman, it’s always been from a very strong place of love and integrity. For me, the idea of reverence and conviction helps to demonstrate that lived experience and the way that we’ve come to these themes is through the way that we program our runway shows,” says Paul. “Many of the designers are actually creating wearable garments and they have these cultural codes and design elements that route it back into them as being Indigenous people, whether that’s through colour or whether that’s through a symbol or even through the use of a garment.”

The first, My Tender Bundle, presented by Simons, features work by Acahkos Designs, Arctic Luxe, BIBI CHEMNITZ, K. Lookinghorse, Mobilize Waskawewin, and R S Gustafson, speaks from the view of the children and family in Indigenous communities.

“It speaks to how we are one protecting our families, but also that allowing young people to be young people and reminding them that they don’t have to be afraid,” says Paul.

The resilience and ingenuity of Indigenous designers are showcased in Fierce + Fearless, presented by CIBC. Featuring works and performances by IX BALAM, HAKHU AMAZON DESIGN, Haus of Dumont, Rebecca Baker-Grenier, ReeCreeations and Chelazon Leroux, Paul explains it will have more of a political edge, coming from a place of intrinsic artistic expression.

The third runway performance, From This Ground We Grow, showcases works from designers including Dene Couture by Tishna Marlowe, Janelle Wawia, Jillian Waterman, Justin Jacob Louis, Lesley Hampton, and Naomi Bourque, showcasing their deep connections to places.

The finale of IFAF 2024 will be a runway performance called Materialize, which spotlights designers using natural materials, including works by Indi City x Heather Bouchier, Jennifer Younger Designs, Merdi Sihombing, Pacha Indigenous Art Collection, Randi Nelson Designs, Taalrumiq, and Ujaraatsiaq’s Garments.

“A lot of them are going back to traditional practices, working with copper and smoked hide,” says Paul. “It’s incredible to see that connection which has carried us from the past to the present and that will carry us into the future.”

Speaking further to Indigenous diaspora, this year’s event will also include panel sessions and an intensive hands-on workshop, supported by Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment and Training, to promote traditional Indigenous skills and practices.