Indigenous Haute Couture – Digital Embellishments 2024

Overview
The four-week Indigenous Haute Couture Fashion Residency, led by faculty lead D’Arcy Moses, will offer eight Indigenous textile-based artists the opportunity to incorporate upcycled and/or digital embellishments into their work and to develop their designs and pattern development skills. 

Indigenous fashion makers and designers will explore experimental elements or accomplish finished productions of their work with an haute couture aesthetic in a fully supported environment.

What does the program offer?
Indigenous Haute Couture - Digital Embellishments will have a strong visual arts component adapting silk screening, laser cutting, 3D Printing, digital embroidery, and casting processes as a component to the design process, exploring fashion's responsibility to address its part in the climate crisis through adapting new elements into their designs. 

Participants are invited to bring projects to work on inspired by their Indigeneity and based on the traditional silhouettes, lines and/or materials of their culture. 

Presented discussions with faculty will focus on Indigenous identity and culture in the garment business, as well as recycling, repurposing materials and/or related conversations.

The guest faculty will support the participant’s exploration and research into Indigenous Haute Couture through their Indigenous lens. 

Who should apply?

• Participants must have a background in fashion or garment design in womenswear.
• Participants must have a basic knowledge of pattern making in the garment business.
• Participants must have some experience in garment construction, sewing, and working with a sewing machine.
• Ideally, participants are interested in or already incorporate digital approaches to embellishments. 

 
This program is open to regional, national and global Indigenous fashion makers, designers and design companies, Indigenous jewelry makers, Indigenous beaders, Indigenous traditional artists including hide tanners and porcupine quillers, provocateurs, disrupters, advocates pushing the boundaries of their artistic practice, Indigenous artists that serve their community, Artistic leaders in Fashion Arts and collaborators of all performing arts disciplines.

*Financial Aid of 100% is available to cover all program costs.

Program Dates: February 26 - March 22, 2024
Application Deadline: November 15, 2023
Learn more and apply online: https://bit.ly/3YtVgFG