The Designer | Sage Paul
Early this year, six Indigenous designers from Canada made their way to Italy for one of the most famed fashion weeks in the world – Milan Fashion Week. They got there thanks to their incredible talent, and their fearless leader — Sage Paul. The designer founded Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto in 2016, eventually turning it into the non-profit Indigenous Fashion Arts with a goal to showcase Indigenous fashion. In bringing these designers together for their first international trade show, WHITE Milano, she’s done exactly that. A constant advocate for Indigenous representation, Paul has spent her career creating opportunities for her fellow designers and has changed the Indigenous fashion scene in Canada and beyond with her drive and determination.
By Lesley Hampton – Friend, Indigenous designer
I met Sage in 2017. She was assisting on the costuming of the movie Through Black Spruce and reached out to connect my designs to their costume team. In 2018, she established the first Indigenous Fashion Week in Toronto, where we were able to show our Lithium collection. Fast-forward to this year, and I was one of the six Indigenous designers who went with Sage to Milan Fashion Week. The work and the hustle that Sage puts in to be able to support us in our journey to present at such an international level is amazing. I’m so inspired by her strategy, the way she can formulate a show in her mind, like Indigenous Fashion Arts, and bring it to such an incredible platform like the Harbourfront Centre or next year at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The way that she can really see Indigenous designers in spaces like Milan and make that happen is incredible. She has layers and layers of experience, and there’s no one more deserving than Sage for this recognition. She’s paving the way for other Indigenous talent to see ourselves in spaces that we haven’t been able to experience before, and she’s making those opportunities to have other designers take up space in the more mainstream market. I think it’s so inspiring for the next generation of talent.
For more of Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2023, click here.Â