The intricate beadwork on this dress is inspired by a beaded shin wrap created by an unknown Secwépemc artist, which I had the privilege of visiting in the Royal BC Museum archives. Captivated by the concept of adorning the shin with such detailed beadwork, I recreated the geometric pattern to honor the original, giving it a feminine expression by placing the beadwork along the dress’s hem as a tribute to the traditional male shin wrap. Antique beads were carefully sourced to match the original colors and textures, ensuring authenticity in every detail. Small red crosses accent the zipper line, adding subtle interest and elongating the silhouette. Paired with fully beaded arm cuffs, matching earrings, and layers of Russian trade bead necklaces, this piece brings Secwépemc beadwork into modern fashion, celebrating Indigenous artistry and legacy.

The neckline of this dress is adorned with white dentalium shells, inspired by traditional dentalium capes that have symbolized wealth and status in Indigenous cultures for centuries. Once used as currency and still highly valued today, dentalium shells carry a timeless cultural significance. The color choices of the green dress, paired with coral and pink ribbons, reflect the iridescent hues of abalone shell, with touches of its beauty sewn throughout the dress. The layered look of dentalium is further enhanced by tiered hair ties, earrings, and cuffs, celebrating this material’s elegance and its historic statement of wealth.

This form-fitting dress, created entirely from traditional smoked hide, honors the skill and knowledge of Indigenous hide tanners, celebrating the artistry involved in creating this valuable material. The dress’s cutout ombre effect is achieved through 17 hide panels, each representing the diverse tanning practices of Indigenous communities across Turtle Island, showcasing natural color variations influenced by different animals and smoking techniques that bring this material to life. Structured with boning in the front for a defined silhouette, the look is completed by two arm cuffs sewn together from leftover hide in a free-form floral design, symbolizing respect for every part of the material and honoring the enduring legacy of Indigenous hide tanning.

This look, designed for my son, incorporates a masculine aesthetic with a vest created from fish leather. I harvested trout and salmon skins with my family from lakes and rivers in the Yukon and British Columbia, tanning them with natural tannins from tea to reveal unique colors and patterns. The fish leather retains the natural shape of each fish, with pieces fitted and stitched together to represent their original forms. The outfit includes a fish leather belt, a woven fish knife sheath designed to hold my grandfather’s harvesting knife—a tribute to the generations of fishing that have supported my family—and two fish leather cuffs patterned with antique steel-cut beads. This piece embodies tradition, family history, and sustainable artistry, bringing the resilience and beauty of fish leather to high fashion.