The Vancouver Indigenous Fashion week showcases culture by bringing over 30 designers together from across the country for four nights of art and fashion, Nov. 20 to 23 at the Queen Elizabeth Theater.
This is the eighth year for VIFW.
“At VIFW, we highlight how fashion can build connections with Indigenous values, wisdom, and history, becoming a powerful tool for the cultivation of strength and resiliency in Indigenous communities, as well as a vehicle for understanding and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples,” reads a VIFW statement.
Things kick off with the Red Dress Event, in which organizers ask attendees to dress in red to remember and celebrate Indigenous resilience and strength, honoring missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit people.
Ahousaht member Alicia Stephens has 15 of her hand-painted pieces walking the runway on the Indigenous Features night, Nov 22.
This is Stephens’ fourth time participating in VIFW. The Burnaby-based artist tells Ha-Shilth-Sa that the 2018 New York Fashion week introduced her to the fashion world with her collection called "Resilience". This collection was dedicated to survivors and non-survivors of the residential school system, but VIFW helped her push forward to be a designer.
“I usually collect things throughout the year, things like beads, chains, different colors, yarn, just different things. I had this idea of what I wanted to do for a while so, it just all came together,” said Stephens, adding that she really surprised herself this year. “I had all this already ready because I had been collecting over the year.”
Along with her hand-painted boots and purses, Stephens has created a couple of street wear looks. This year elegance is more of a theme.
After the VIFW is over Stephens has some big goals for her company Alicia’s Designs.
She has been hand painting pieces for the past 13 years.
“I started out with a sharpie and a pair of old boots from my closet, it grew from there,” she said.
Soon sunglasses and handbags were added to her collection.
Over the past eight years, Stephens became a full-time artist and has sold over 1,500 of her pieces and has shipped all over North America. Her pieces include boots, high heels, running shoes, purses, wallets, belts, jackets and earrings.
Stephens will continue with this process for personalized items but wants to create an area with a production side with “a couture line with dresses, bags and jewelry.”
“I really want to get into the production side of things, producing dresses and stuff that I can sew,” she added. “It’s definitely been a crazy journey, but I am so grateful that I was given this opportunity.”
Tickets for Vancouver Indigenous Fashion week are on sale now and can be bought online at www.vifw.ca
