TORONTO – A new fashion week in Toronto promises to challenge mainstream perceptions of Indigenous people and culture.

The inaugural Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto will feature “the most distinct and progressive Indigenous artists working in fashion, textiles and craft.”

Founder and Dene artist and designer Sage Paul says it’s “about carving out space for Indigenous fashion, craft and textiles.”

The four-day festival will include runway shows featuring artists and designers from across Canada, the United States and Greenland, and feature men’s and women’s wear, streetwear, avant-garde, traditional regalia, jewellery and craft.

There will also be panels and lectures on topics including cultural appropriation, Indigenous dyes and fibres, and storytelling and symbolism in textiles and design.

The event runs May 31 to June 3 in Toronto.

“Indigenous fashion can redefine mainstream fashion and art: our fashion illustrates our stories, traditions, sovereignty and resiliency,” Paul said Thursday in a release.

Workshops on dyeing, beading and rug weaving will be held.

A marketplace will feature more than 40 vendors in Indigenous fashion, food, cosmetics, lifestyle, craft, textiles and more.

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Online: www.ifwtoronto.com