TIMMINS - The final touches are being pinned in place for a brand new Indigenous fashion showcase.
This year’s Niska Noel market will kick off with a fashion show on Friday Nov. 29. It features 13 Indigenous designers, Indigenous models, a lot of storytelling about the outfits. The next day — on Saturday, Nov. 30 — 25 vendors are setting up for the Niska Noel market. Both events are at Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre.
“Where else would you find an Indigenous fashion show with all Indigenous models and designers?” said artist Justic Sutherland Sutherland. “Timmins is just the perfect place to have that fashion show. We are an urban centre, yes, but we are also so widely connected to many reserves and we have great collaboration.”
At the fashion show, about 30 outfits will be showcased, said Clara Wheaton Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Indigenous neighbours program associate.
“We’re going to have drummers to start the day off, and all the vendors on Saturday, so it’ll be packed," she said.
The event is planned by the MCC Niska Artisan program, the Timmins museum, the Ojibway Cree Cultural Centre and Misiway Health.
Sutherland has three outfits in the show, including one she has made for her aunt. The story behind the ribbon skirt’s design is all about early memories for her.
“She used to make me blueberry pies, and that’s one of my fondest memories of her,” said Sutherland. “So I made a springtime dress and a bunch of blueberry pins and hair barettes.”
This is the first time the market has included a fashion show, and Wheaton hopes the concept will grow in the coming years.
There will also be a panel afterward with three of the designers, Jamie Lee Reardin, Evelyn Turner and Ariel Nakogee, so that attendees can learn more.
“We really wanted to communicate the meaning and intention that went into these outfits, not just the visual piece,” said Wheaton. “There are some really cool stories behind some of them.”
With the market on Saturday at the museum, the hope is that people will take that knowledge into their shopping over the weekend.
Sutherland said the experience has helped her find some more confidence in her skills, and she hopes seeing the work of the local designers will inspire others to find their courage to try something they are unsure of.
“Just to be able to have a platform to showcase our work like this is a good feeling,” she said. “I hope this will build the confidence for me, so I can finally say, my family is covered now and have the confidence to start sharing my artwork from there.”
The fashion show is at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 29 at the Timmins museum. It is sold out but a few seats may open up on Friday evening.
The craft sale takes place on Saturday, Nov. 30 starting at 10 a.m. at the Timmins museum.
