The biannual Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto (IFWTO), originally scheduled for May of this year, has re-envisioned its 2020 edition as an online presentation from November 26 – 29. The four-day festival will goe live at IFWtoronto.com and include: cinematically produced fashion films featuring 19 designers; 50+ limited edition Indigenous-made collections, which will then retail in a virtual pop-up marketplace; a digital art exhibition; and a critical discourse about fashion and the arts through Indigenous leadership in a series of panel discussions. This year’s edition of IFWTO continues to celebrate Indigenous-made fashion, craft and textiles, share Indigenous visual narratives and create opportunities for global community engagement through a screen-based experience.
“At a time when physical gatherings are difficult and the online market is saturated, carving out innovative digital spaces for Indigenous creators to gather and share our work is vital,” says IFWTO Artistic Director Sage Paul. “IFWTO has brought together a talented multidisciplinary team to reimagine how audiences experience and interact with Indigenous-made fashion, craft and textiles online. I hope the four-day experience is a cathartic experience of getting dressed up for something special and celebrating Indigenous art and culture.”
Bringing together fashion, theatre, dance and film, the IFWTO Fashion Films are curatorially underscored by our interconnectedness to water. The IFWTO Selections Committee recognizes mainstream and Indigenous fashion as it relates to climate seasons that correspond to the land, water, harvests and moon. Water is a vital resource and is sacred for Indigenous peoples around the world. It is protected and nurtured by women and carries metaphorical and literal connections to blood and life. In relation to fashion, both Indigenous and mainstream, water is an undeniable resource, connector and life force that must be protected and nurtured. The four programs feature:
Day 1: Tu Gh’eh Nah (Water is Life)
Miss Chief Rocka
Mobilize
Jason Baerg
Section 35
Skawennati
Day 2: Tu Cho (Lake) – Global Program
Bobby Itta
Murrii Quu
Maru Creations
Margaret Jacobs
Kandama
Day 3: Tu Gh’eh Tl’e’th (Streams)
Warren Steven Scott
Curtis Oland
Evan Ducharme
Indi City
Hand of Solomon
Day 4: Tu Gh’el T’ilhn (Water Carriers) – Women’s Program
Ay Lelum – The Good House of Design
Anne Mullaire
Lesley Hampton
Celeste Pedri-Spade
