Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week preview at YVR showcases Indigenous culture and talent

Travellers breezing through Vancouver International Airport (YVR) last week may have seen a different type of airport runway – a stylish fashion show at Jade Canoe offering a preview of Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week’s (VIFW) main event, taking place next month at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. YVR’s preview supports the sharing of Indigenous heritage, stories, culture, and success with the global community through fashion, while honouring elders past and present. 

The event featured a curated selection of Indigenous fashion inspired by Air, VIFW’s 2025 showcase theme designed by Indigenous artists including clothing by Musqueam designers Debra and Aleen Sparrow; copper jewelry by Musqueam designer Gerren Peters; and a copper chest plate, worn by Lily Gladstone at the 2024 Emmy Awards, designed by Agnes Seaweed Wisden, a YVR Art Foundation awardee. With an audience of passengers and supporters at the airport, Musqueam elders and Air Canada Indigenous crew models walked the runway in regalia and contemporary designs, amidst a Musqueam artist market with multiple vendors and live music from Musqueam DJ Merv Kelly.  

Musqueam drummers heralded the arrival of Musqueam elders and models before kicking off the festivities. Caroline Phelps, VIFW’s General Manager shared remarks alongside VIFW founder, Jolene Mitton, emphasizing the excitement leading into one of the biggest Indigenous fashion events in Western Canada next month. She also expressed how proud she was of VIFW’s growth, from its humble beginnings as a grassroots event to a multi-day fashion show for thousands of people – with the goal of celebrating Indigenous artists, designers, and performers. Quelemia Sparrow, Musqueam member, educator and multi-disciplinary artist welcomed all before the show began; followed by Alana Lawrence, Vice President Communications, Environment & Indigenous Relations at YVR; Jim Hemsworth, Manager, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation at Air Canada; and Darnell Stager, Regional Indigenous Tourism Specialist Lead at Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC) who emceed the event. 

Together with Musqueam and Indigenous partners, YVR was proud to provide a backdrop for the VIFW preview show and continue its commitment of providing a platform to raise Indigenous voices, profile Indigenous artists, and educate the broader community. As part of YVR’s ongoing journey of reconciliation, the airport honours its relationship with Musqueam on whose traditional ancestral and unceded territory the airport is located. 

VIFW 2025 will take place from November 19 – 22, with four separate events and a maker’s market, showcasing over 30 accomplished Indigenous fashion designers and celebrating extraordinary Indigenous creativity and culture.