ANNOUNCEMENT
The 2022 Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto
Call for Applications is Now Open!
Deadline: May 14, 2021, 11:59PM
APPLY NOW
Toronto, ON – Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto is thrilled to announce the call for runway and marketplace applications is now open. The third biennial Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto (IFWTO) will take place June 9 – 12, 2022 at Harbourfront Centre in downtown Toronto. Next year’s hybrid live/online festival will include four group-runway shows with music performances, a 3-day marketplace featuring 54 exhibitors, hands-on workshops, panel discussions and networking and B2B events.
IFWTO is particularly interested in programming works that challenge perceptions of and celebrate Indigenous people and cultures, welcoming innovative and meaningful expression, design and craftsmanship from designers. Indigenous designers, artists and makers from Canada and around the world are invited to apply to present 1 to 15 looks on the runway and to participate as a retailer in the marketplace. Applications from woman-identifying and 2SLGBTQ+ Indigenous individuals are prioritized.
“As the sector of ‘Indigenous fashion’ continues to grow and the work is (re)established as a vital thread in the Canadian and global tapestries of art and culture, I am continuously moved by the intricate and deep visual language and storytelling shared by Indigenous designers. It is truly a gift to get to work with them,” says Sage Paul, Artistic Director at Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto. “IFWTO was created to serve and work with artists and designers from our communities and I greatly look forward to the applications we receive this year.”
The inaugural IFWTO took place over four days at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre in 2018, with an overwhelmingly positive response from audiences and participants from across Canada, as well as media and social media attention from around the world.
Journalist Kelly Boutsalis (Toronto Star) said of the inaugural festival: “Toronto’s first fashion week dedicated entirely to Indigenous creators and storytellers was a uniquely Indigenous experience. Front row seats were reserved for elders, instead of fashion VIPS, and gender-fluid, body-positive Indigenous and non-Indigenous models walked the runway to Tanya Tagaq throat-singing tracks.”
The second biennial festival was scheduled for May 2020 and pivoted to an online event that recently took place November 26-29, 2020. Both previous editions of the festival have served Indigenous designers as an important platform for the artistic presentation of their works, facilitating reciprocal audience exchange and offering opportunities for professional and economic growth. IFWTO strives to continue that work into 2022 and beyond.
Application Form: IFWtoronto.com/apply
Guidelines & Eligibility:
Deadline: May 14, 2021
Fee: $20 per application
About Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto (IFWTO)
IFWTO is a biennial multi-platform fashion, craft and textiles festival presenting the most distinct and progressive Indigenous-made works. IFWTO celebrates global Indigenous expression in fashion and the arts and its grounding in Indigenous knowledge, ways of life and storytelling. IFWTO is presented by Indigenous Fashion Arts, an Indigenous-led non-profit arts organization that connects audiences to artistic and cultural expression to celebrate and amplify Indigenous artists and designers.
www.ifwtoronto.com
@IFWtoronto on Facebook • Twitter • Instagram
Thank you IFWTO 2022 funding partners:
Canada Council for the Arts, Community Foundations Canada, Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment & Training, Harbourfront Centre
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Media & General Inquiries
Katie Mooney
Program Coordinator
katie@ifwtoronto.com