Shopify blog
Everyone’s motivation for starting a business is different, but there’s one factor that comes up more often than most when talking with Indigenous founders: community.
Some have created a business in response to challenges faced by their fellow residents—as Birch Bark Coffee and HerBraids did to raise awareness and funds around the lack of potable water on many reserves across Canada. Others have sought to create jobs in their locales, while others still are aiming to represent their community’s heritage on a broader stage.
Devon Fiddler
The goal is to create opportunities for Indigenous women, so our focus has really been on the people.
Recently, Devon hosted a “design storytelling” group, where she invited eight Indigenous women to consult on what they desired in a handbag to inform SheNative’s current products. “One woman talked about showcasing the success and celebration of Indigenous women and our culture through our products,” explains Devon. “I thought that was a great idea.” Not only is this kind of inclusive approach a way to involve more Indigenous women in the design process, it’s also just good business. Getting feedback early from customers helps SheNative deliver great products people want.
Those products have been central to Devon building a successful, growing business. Since the company launched in 2014, it’s been hitting growth milestones. In June 2019, after hosting pop-up shops, Devon opened a bricks-and-mortar location in Saskatoon.
Learn More: Learn how to start your own online t-shirt business.
Sage Paul
Underrepresented groups are shaking up the fashion industry by bringing their culture and ideas to the table—not to mention the runway—and Sage Paul is committed to making sure that Indigenous clothing, accessories, and art is part of the movement. She’s a Toronto-based urban Dene woman and member of English River First Nation who not only designs her own clothing line and produces art installations but is also the founder and artistic director behind Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto (IFWTO), which elevates Indigenous communities as a whole. “It takes the process of presenting it and sharing it for a broader understanding of our culture, and I think we have to do that together,” Sage says.
“Fashion is such a powerful medium to express oneself, to express one’s culture, to express where we’re at,” says Sage. “As Indigenous people, that was taken away from us. We had to cut our hair, and we were put into Western clothing. We were not allowed to do that kind of work.” That history, along with seeing Indigenous culture appropriated by others in the fashion industry more recently, led Sage to launch her own clothing and accessories line. “I was making fashion before seeing the appropriation,” she says. “Seeing the appropriation urged me to focus my attention on creating space for Indigenous representation in fashion.”
Sage has been creating custom, narrative-driven garments, crafts, and costumes for artistic presentation, fashion, film, TV, and theatre. If her story resonates, she has some advice for aspiring founders, especially members of traditionally underrepresented communities in fashion. “If we are really feeling marginalized, there are other people who are marginalized. We can work together and create a space that is undeniable—that people can’t turn away from,” Sage says.
Reporting by Renee Morad and Emma Jones
Feature image by Sweetmoon Photography
Read more
- Partners- From Van Life to Cacao and Coffee Roasters
- How to Sell Handmade Goods on Shopify
- The Future Needs More Black Businesses
- Vanguard- This Latinx Bath Brand Is Bubbling with Nostalgia
- Vanguard- She Traded a Career in Law for High-Fashion Hijabs
- This 84-Year-Old Grandmother Serves Comfort and Community Through Livestreamed Cooking Classes
- The Lawyer Turned Axe-Maker and Other Unique Founders of Portland, Maine
- Vanguard- Prejudice Against Her Blackness Inspired a Million-Dollar Beauty Business
- Community and Competition- Inside the Mind of a 19-Year-Old Founder
Indigenous Fashion Designers FAQ
What is Indigenous fashion design?
Indigenous fashion design blends ancestral techniques, storytelling, and cultural symbolism with contemporary silhouettes to create garments rooted in a specific nation's history rather than generic "tribal" trends. Designers often treat each piece as a narrated project, using color, pattern, and material choices to reflect distinct heritage and identity. Since there are hundreds of federally recognized tribes across North America, each with its own creation stories and traditions tied to a specific geography and history, the resulting designs vary widely rather than following one unified style.
How can I support Indigenous fashion designers when shopping?
Buy directly from designer-owned stores or verified Indigenous marketplaces rather than retailers selling "Native-inspired" pieces made without community involvement. Checking whether a brand discloses the designer's tribal affiliation helps confirm authenticity. National markets, such as the one run by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts in Santa Fe, gather Indigenous makers together each year so shoppers can connect with designers directly. Following individual designers' own online stores also puts more revenue straight into their communities.
Why is cultural appropriation a persistent problem for Indigenous fashion designers?
Major fashion houses have spent decades profiting from so-called "Indigenous-inspired" clothing that borrows tribal-style patterns and colorways without any real connection to the communities they reference. This practice strips cultural meaning from specific symbols and traditions, reducing them to a passing trend rather than crediting the people and history behind them. It's part of why many Indigenous designers build their own labels and platforms, so their heritage gets represented on their own terms instead of reinterpreted by outsiders.
How do Indigenous designers blend traditional heritage with modern fashion?
Many Indigenous designers combine techniques passed down through family, such as beadwork, leatherwork, or weaving, with modern silhouettes and production methods to create wearable, contemporary pieces. Skills learned from grandmothers or elders often shape the foundation, then translate into current garment shapes and everyday-ready designs. One designer's clothing line blends traditional practices from her grandmothers with contemporary fashion, reflecting ancestral resilience across each collection. This layering keeps cultural knowledge active rather than treating it as a historical reference only.
Are Indigenous fashion designers gaining recognition in mainstream fashion?
Yes, Indigenous designers are increasingly recognized by major industry organizations, signaling wider acceptance of authentic Native design beyond niche markets. One designer made history as the first Native American inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America, recognized for statement pieces worn by models and public figures alike. This growth reflects a broader shift, as consumers increasingly seek authentic representation rather than the appropriated "Indigenous-inspired" pieces long common in mainstream retail.
Where can shoppers discover more Indigenous-owned fashion brands?
Indigenous-owned fashion brands can be found through directories that list designers from various nations, alongside fashion weeks organized specifically to showcase Native design talent. These directories often cover disciplines ranging from beadwork and leatherwork to ready-to-wear clothing lines, each linked to a specific nation or community. Searching by region or medium makes it easier to find a designer whose story and craft resonate, then buying directly from their own site or a trusted Indigenous marketplace.
