A force for change
Indigenous designer Angela DeMontigny is shaping the future of Canadian fashion
Angela DeMontigny has been dispelling stereotypes about Indigenous fashion for more than 20 years.
“I’m creating fashion that tells a story and has cultural meaning,” explains the Vancouver-born Cree-Métis designer from the downtown Hamilton boutique she opened four years ago.
After her recent appointment as designer-in-residence at the Ryerson School of Fashion in Toronto, she is now getting a substantial platform for her work.
DeMontigny creates contemporary, luxe designs in leathers, suedes and fur; modern silhouettes like overall culottes and capelets that add edge to traditional materials. For her fall collection, for example, she was inspired by the relationship Indigenous people have with the night sky, crafting an indigo leather moto jacket embroidered boldly with constellations and emblazoned with “of the stars” in Cree across the back.
Her recent appointment as designer-inresidence won’t be her first foray into education — she’s been unofficially teaching people about cultural appropriation for years, answering questions like “Can I wear this?” from non-Indigenous customers.
“For the most part, people don’t want to offend. They think if it’s Indigenous-made, they’re going to get in trouble if they wear it,” she says. “They’re confusing the issue.”
The problem, explains DeMontigny, is the outdated misconception that Indigenous fashion is “feather, fringes and beads.” The problem is that Indigenous designers are often met with closed doors from retailers who don’t understand their work.
As a lecturing professor and mentor at Ryerson, DeMontigny is hoping to teach fashion students about Indigenous design, but also about the power of drawing on one’s own culture and identity.
“Instead of Canadian designers always looking to whatever the rest of the world is doing and being directed by that, we need bring it back to ourselves,” she explains. “It’s all about authenticity: there’s power in being unique and embracing your own culture to set yourself apart.”
Ben Barry, the chair of Ryerson’s fashion school who received a PhD from Cambridge University for his research about inclusivity in fashion, selected DeMontigny to bring Indigenous fashion to the centre of Ryerson’s program.
“She’s an inspiration to everyone working in fashion about how you can build a business that honours your heritage, values, ethics and thrive in a global fashion industry,” he says.
While she’s shown her work in markets as far flung as South Africa, DeMontigny is very active in the Canadian fashion scene. She produced the first Aboriginal Fashion Week during the 2010 Winter Olympics, founded fashioNation at Toronto’s L’Oréal Fashion Week, and co-founded the Canadian Aboriginal Design Council.
Now, DeMontigny is prepping to take her message overseas to London Fashion Week in February. During her second time at LFW, she’ll present her upcoming Fall/ Winter 2019 collection, which also plays with the theme of stars, as part of the Canadian showcase that uses a small exhibit format.
“For over two decades,” says Barry, “she’s been centring Canada’s original fashion voice — Indigenous fashion — and she’s been building platforms for Indigenous creatives and youth to grow their talent.”
DeMontigny has also facilitated the first in a series of ongoing monthly sessions that address racism in the fashion industry. Barry says that she provides a safe space for students to learn from someone who has both experienced racism and developed strategies to effect change.
From her perspective, DeMontigny says it’s critical to be inclusive in educational institutions, where creativity is being fostered.
“I’m in a role where I can hopefully influence positive changes that might actually change the fashion industry, and in a very small way, change the world,” she explains.
Her appointment is certainly meaningful to Indigenous learners — Barry mentions a fourth-year student who was reluctant to draw from her background, since she’d never considered it appropriate for “fashion” beforehand since she’d never seen it represented in magazines or on runways. But DeMontigny’s role is also significant to fellow faculty. Riley Kucheran, the Indigenous Advisor at the Yeates School of Graduate Studies at Ryerson, says, “To see Angela in this position fills me with hope. I think that Indigenous approaches to design and making can heal our relationship to clothing, so now Angela can impart some of that knowledge.”
The timing for DeMontigny’s Ryerson position coincides with a wave of promising new Indigenous talent in North America. “There’s more designers coming up behind me and it’s gaining more momentum,” she says, citing exciting designers like B.C.-born menswear creator Curtis Oland, Warren Steven Scott and L.A.based Bethany Yellowtail. “It’s what I was always working for, and I’m glad to see the work finally getting respect and recognition.”
DeMontigny has been a longtime advocate for Indigenous art. Her boutique functions partly as a gallery to give a platform to Indigenous artists and jewelry makers like B.C.-born Warren Steven Scott, who makes bold earrings out of acrylic and sterling silver; and mixed media artist Ed Archie Noisecat, who once worked as a lithographer in New York for artists like Roy Lichtenstein and now creates weighty silver rings. DeMontigny promotes her fellow makers in the media and uses their pieces in her runway shows. After chatting with DeMontigny in her boutique some months ago, I walked out with a delicate crystal pendant necklace made by Cree-designed Inner Wolf Jewelry.
Brick and mortar spaces that sell Indigenous art are in short supply, explains DeMontigny, which is why she’s working to open stores in Toronto and Calgary. Many Indigenous designers sell their wares via social media and Etsy, but she wants to bring communities together off-line and create meaningful opportunities for makers. So, as the co-founder of the Ontario Fashion Exchange, she’s working to foster the fashion manufacturing sector in Hamilton. As the growing city has become a hub for film and music creatives, DeMontigny has been at the forefront, helping to create a foundation for the fashion industry with innovative small manufacturing projects aimed at addressing the skilled labour shortage. She ultimately sees it benefiting the entire southwestern Ontario region.
“Oh my god, there’s so much work to do, I’m going to be busy until I’m 90 and beyond,” she says, laughing. “I can sleep when I’m dead.”