For the first time, six Indigenous fashion designers from Canada were hosted by “WHITE Milano,” one of the most famous spaces of Fashion Week in Milan, Italy. WHITE Milano is a highly-selective fashion exhibition that has been influencing retail fashion for over 20 years.
The project, which was sponsored by the Canadian Embassy in Italy, was coordinated by the Indigenous Fashion Arts (IFA), a non-profit in Toronto, founded by Sage Paul.
Paul stressed that fashion design rooted in Indigenous communities need help from the “mainstream,” in order to establish itself definitively.
The first post-pandemic WHITE Milano stage, represented by approximately 20,000 visitors and dozens of global buyers, were introduced to Indigenous designers.
“Garments in this sense, are not just something to wear, but a means to tell a story,” Elissa Golberg, the Canadian Ambassador to Italy, said.
Golberg emphasized the importance of awareness and attention when it came to the creations of the designers and Indigenous cultures.
The main focus of the fashion pieces were centred around Canadian recognition of Indigenous cultures and the journey to reconciliation.
Golberg believes that these issues go beyond Canadian borders to rediscover their own role on the global stage.
