7 Labels to Know at This Year’s Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival

 The Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival—formerly named Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto—will be held later this week in Toronto showcasing new collections from some of the Native fashion scene’s leading names. From June 9 to 12, the biennial event will return to being in-person this year after being held virtually in 2020 due to the pandemic. IFA founder Sage Paul says this year will be better than ever. “Indigenous fashion is in a constant state of evolution and exploration rooted in culture, so audiences can expect to see the vibrancy and heritage of our cultures through a contemporary lens,” Paul says. “Something that is hard to put into words is the energy and spirit felt at the festival. There is nothing else like having your community come together to celebrate the incredible art and design of one another.”

Four runway shows will be held at Toronto's Harbourfront Center Theatre, a new location chosen for its circular catwalk. “The circle is significant for most Indigenous cultures, so our runway is symbolic and a truly Indigenous experience of fashion to amplify and complement the programmed designers collections,” Paul says. (The First Nations' medicine wheel teachings, for instance, revolve around that shape.)