A Made-In-Canada Fashion Mashup

A new made-in-Canada fashion mashup drops tomorrow, and we’ve got an exclusive sneak peek for you. Ready-to-wear brand Smythe has collaborated with Kataleen Webb, a James Bay Cree mixed Indigenous Canadian textile artist and recent graduate from the renowned British arts and design college, Central Saint Martins.

“We met Kataleen through mutual friends and when she shared her incredible portfolio of print work, we were thrilled at the prospect of a collaboration,” say Smythe co-founders Andrea Lenczner and Christie Smythe. “We were drawn to and moved by her art and knew it would translate beautifully into a collection. The result is a limited-edition capsule that features four of Kataleen’s designs. We hope it is a thoughtful blending of Indigenous ways of knowing with settler design.”

Adds Kataleen, “The collection allowed us to blend Smythe’s contemporary fashion perspective with my own experience as a mixed urban Indigenous James Bay Cree person. I’m so excited by the opportunity to blend all the different worlds I know and to bring to life a beautiful cultural mixing. I hope that this collaboration speaks to all Canadians and women who want to express love for who they are and where they come from. There is so much more room for this kind of collaboration and celebration.”

The capsule collection of seven pieces features four of Kataleen’s prints.The best part? $50 from each piece sold will be donated to Indigenous Fashion Arts Toronto to help foster and support the talents of other Indigenous artists. —Vita Daily

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