2023 Collection
Theme:
Protect Mother Earth and the Long Man (Water Ways)
The 2023 fashion collection, themed "Protecting Mother Earth and the Long Man (Water ways)," serves as a poignant advocacy statement against pipelines and their environmental impact.
Fabric design:
Raccoon and bird footprints left in a late December 2022 dusting of snow outside the designer's mountaintop home sparked the initial concept. Originally conceived to uplift the Indigenous perspective of humanity as a part of nature, equal to other animals and not superior, the fabric was a beautiful pure white with balanced grey animal footprints. As the creative process unfolded, this concept evolved into a powerful dichotomy: the pristine purity and balance fabric contrasting with the ominous contamination and volatility embodied by black fabric imprinted with oil spill footprints. The final design, completed in June, introduces color as a symbol of hope, envisioning Mother Earth, the Long Man, and Nature healed by the 7th generation, transcending the harm inflicted by humanity.
Clothing design:
The runway journey begins with a celebration of nature's beauty, where elegant flowing materials and haute couture fashion are elevated by stunning young Indigenous women, paying homage to the femininity of nature and Mother Earth. This year's groundbreaking inclusion of Tali Elohi's first male model symbolizes the beginning of humanity's abuse on nature, honoring the flaws of the modern patriarchal society. He enters adorned in all white, accompanied by a black snake representing oil pipelines coiled around his arm and perched on his head. As he walks the runway, the snake oozes oil down his face, staining the once-pristine, balanced nature, and upon his return, he is cloaked entirely in black. The fourth model, a seasoned figure, embodies a near-death Mother Earth due to the full destructive force of oil, with a dominatrix aesthetic amplifying the impact. The transformative finale showcases a young Indigenous female model in modern Indigenous attire, representing the next generation, courageously slaying the black snake, and becoming the powerful voice of the protest movement against the MVP pipeline.
