21 June 2018

by Niamh Tuft

Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto launched on 31 May with a vision of presenting the most progressive, distinct and exceptional Indigenous-made fashion, textiles and crafts. The initiative includes a full programme of talks and workshops as well as showcases and curated exhibitions.

A Creative Incubation Lab supported by British Council Canada brought six Indigenous fashion and textile artists together to explore their creative process through rapid image making and intense collaboration. A collaboration with UK-based creative studio Foxall focused on ideas and perceptions of the intersection of Indigenous craft, textile and design and Western image-making. Over a period of 3 days the lab explored the image-making process, with editorial direction and guidance from Foxall Studio working with a team of Indigenous media artists and creatives.

This work created a live exhibition of image-based work exploring key themes and concepts that emerged through the process, and are expressed through fashion, textile, design, photography and moving image. The process is captured in a film created by Foxall Studio and demonstrates that unique and memorable work can be made by placing constraints on both time and resources.