Artists and Designers
Secwepémc /
Randi Nelson Designs
Discipline:
Fashion
Randi Nelson is a Secwépemc artist and fashion designer, and a member of St’uxwtews First Nation. Now based in Whitehorse, Yukon, she is celebrated for her distinct artistic style, a product of her upbringing in a family that stressed the importance of harnessing creativity from the natural world.
The jewelry and other wearable art designs that Randi creates are inspired by her love of nature and its beauty. She draws inspiration from the changing seasons, handpicking flowers, berries, and leaves to create unique floral patterns for each piece. The colours of the plants and their shades inform the selection of beads, gemstones, and hand-dyed caribou hair for her jewellery and other wearable art pieces ensuring a perfect match.
In addition to her personal artistic endeavors, Randi is dedicated to teaching others and sharing her artistic and cultural knowledge. Her work has been recognized and is included in the Yukon Permanent Art Collection and owned by art collectors worldwide.
Latest Collection
Kwúlécwtn 2024
A Collection by:
Randi Nelson Designs
The “”””Kwúlécwtn”””” collection, meaning ‘to adorn oneself ‘ in Secwepemctsín, is a celebration of Indigenous artistry, culture, and tradition. Each look within the collection uniquely emphasizes a different Indigenous material, carrying its Secwepemctsín name, and showcases these materials as symbols of wealth and expressions of beauty.
The collection elevates these materials to a level of rarity, underlining the skill and knowledge required to transform them into fashion. It brings to light their increasing scarcity, mirroring the challenges of preserving age-old techniques in the modern world.
These materials represent Indigenous wealth, making the runway a stage where fashion goes beyond aesthetics, voicing the pride, resilience, and vibrancy of Indigenous culture. “”””Kwúlécwtn”””” is a respectful blend of tradition and modernity, a call to see, understand, and appreciate the value of what the land provides and what skilled hands can create. It serves as a reminder of the timeless appeal of Indigenous materials, demonstrating that their beauty continues to resonate in today’s world.