Following a successful debut at New York Fashion Week in September, Indigenous designer Stephanie Crowchild (pictured above) put on a bespoke fashion show in Las Vegas alongside Destination Canada.
New York Fashion Week experienced a dazzling array of Indigenous designs in September, as Stephanie Crowchild debuted her self-titled fashion label.
Known for converting wool blankets from Hudson’s Bay and Pendleton, Stephanie Eagletail Designs’ blanket coats are inspired by her Indigenous identity and traditions. Crowchild is from Tsuu T’ina in Treaty 7 Territory near Calgary, Alberta; it’s a heritage which features heavily in her designs. She explained: “My late grandfather, Fred Eagletail, would often wear Hudson’s Bay blanket coats to events he would attend in Calgary, and when he passed, we uncovered his large collection of Hudson’s Bay blankets.
“It inspired me to create my own version as a way to honour him and to decolonise an item that is so representative of HBC’s past with Indigenous Peoples. I feel deeply honoured that I can show my designs on this global platform and represent my community.”
The label debuted a 10-piece collection to an international audience at Studio Arte on 9 September as part of RISE New York Fashion Week (RISE NYFW). The event itself is designed to be a platform that showcases the work of talented emerging designers – enabling Indigenous designers like Crowchild to demonstrate their work on a global stage.
Each piece presented on the runway drew inspiration from Crowchild’s Kokums and Chapans heritage (grandmother and great-grandmother in Crowchild’s traditional Cree language) and was crafted skillfully using upcycled wool materials, including HBC Multistripe Point Blankets – designed to prompt discussion around the complex history of Indigenous Peoples and colonisers in Canada.
“Showcasing in NYC during fashion week is an incredible accomplishment, and we want to congratulate Stephanie on this milestone moment in her journey,” commented Tiffany Bourré, DVP, of Communications and Heritage at The Bay. “Stephanie is carrying forward a tradition of her family, and of her community, and we look forward to building on our relationship and the work we are doing together.”
Stephanie’s blanket coat
IMEX America
At IMEX America, which took place in Las Vegas 17-19 October 2023, Crowchild was invited by Destination Canada to host a fashion show alongside the industry trade show. The runway was set up under the Eifel Tower at the Paris Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas strip and included clips of the New York Fashion Week pieces, Indigenous art, and culture.
Showcasing Crowchild’s designs at a bespoke fashion show alongside IMEX was an initative as part of Destination Canada’s sustainability commitments, which champion Indigenous cultures, art, and authentic incentives.
On Indigenous-run incentives that demonstrate the unique cultures across Canada, Jennifer Attersall, director of Incentive Travel at Destination Canada, said: “Experiences like these are entirely authentic to a destination, which is what makes it so special and meaningful to incentive winners.”
