VIFW 2023 Interview with Designer Rebecca Baker-Grenier

Rebecca Baker-Grenier will be showing her collection on Nov. 20 - Theme Red Dress. Please wear red to remember and celebrate Indigenous resilience and strength, and to honour our missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit members of our communities. Tix HERE!

From the VIFW Press Release -

Nation: Kwakiutl, Dzawadaʼenuxw, and Squamish
Collection at VIFW “we are warriors”

Rebecca is of Kwakiuł, Musgamagw Dzawada’enuwx, and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh ancestry. She is a multidisciplinary artist with a BA from the University of British Columbia. Rebecca has been

creating sewn and beaded regalia since the age of eleven. She began fashion design in 2021 and has since been apprenticing under Pam Baker. She also completed the Indigenous Couture Residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Rebecca debuted her first collection at New York Fashion Week, 2022. Her most recent collection “we are warriors” debuted at SWAIA Fashion Show – Santa Fe Indian Market in August 2023, followed by Vancouver Fashion Week 2023 and is lined up to show at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week and Indigenous Fashion Arts Toronto, May 2024. Rebecca’s fashion has been on exhibit at the Bill Reid Gallery, Museum of Vancouver, the YVR Vancouver Airport, and soon to be at the American Museum for Natural History in New York.

Rebecca’s collection “we are warriors” is inspired by our ancestral warriors, who were strong, courageous, and persistent in protecting our villages, communities, and culture. Indigenous people have always fought to resist colonization and safeguard our communities. This collection is in honor of their strength and recognizes all of us who are still fighting in resistance to colonialism and rebuilding our cultures through acts of resurgence. It is necessary to ensure the healing of our families, communities, lands, and culture, so that we have something to pass on to our children.

Interview  -

Please share a bit about your journey to embrace fashion design as a career.

I don’t think I had the typical journey of a fashion designer. I grew up watching my mother sew, helping her do whatever small tasks, playing in her sewing room. This is how she grew up with her mother and now my kids do the same. When I was 11, my mother taught me how to use the sewing machine and a few basic skills. I then made my own dance regalia and have since been sewing and beading personal and family regalia.

In 2021 I wanted to push my creativity and skills to learn fashion design, I debuted my first collection at New York Fashion Week, in September 2022. For me fashion is way to demonstrate our pride as Indigenous people and represent who we are. It’s also a way for non-Indigenous people to learn and support, even just a little bit.

How did you learn your skills? 

Initially my mother taught me to sew, and over the years I gained tips and tricks from family. A lot of learning has been trial and error, but it’s always worth trying new things and pushing yourself to improve. In 2021 I started apprenticing under my aunty Himikalas Pam Baker for fashion design. She is an established and very talented artist and designer and has been instrumental in my journey so far as a fashion designer. In our culture, this is the way we learn, from our family, so it is special that this has been my experience.  

Who are you as a designer? Aesthetic? Customer? Brand?  

There is an intimate and ancestral connection to the art that I create. I strive to represent my identity as a Kwakiutl, Dzawada’enuxw, and Squamish woman. Art is a means to transfer knowledge and carry forward our culture for the next generation.

For me, it’s about creating something that has meaning and a purpose. Art is about imagining something that hasn’t been done before, pushing the limits of what we think might be possible, and doing something new and exciting.

Some of the pieces that I create would not be for sale due to the nature of the piece itself. However, generally, I do create designs that are wearable for everyone – Indigenous and non-Indigenous.

 What comes easiest for you as a designer? What is hardest?

I love the creative aspect – imagining designs, colors, silhouettes – the options are endless. For me, the story comes first and the meaning behind what I am creating is as important as the finished product.  

Where do you find inspiration for new collections? How important is colour to your design process?

Inspiration is everywhere. My work starts with my culture, the land, and all that is around. Sometimes inspiration is a feeling, a movement, a texture, a color and sometimes it’s rooted in a story, history, or my lineage.

Color is foundational to my design process. My current collection’s color palette is based on copper. Copper as a material and symbol is important in my culture. Copper, being a living metal, transforms to diverse range of colors as it patinas – blues, greens, blacks, and so on.

Readers would love to know more about the current collection you showed at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week 2024. (collection name, inspiration, fabrics, palette, just a teaser).

My collection “we are warriors” is inspired by our ancestral warriors, who were strong, courageous, and persistent in protecting our villages, communities, and culture. Indigenous people have always fought to resist colonization and safeguard our communities. This collection is in honor of their strength and recognizes all of us who are still fighting in resistance to colonialism and rebuilding our cultures through acts of resurgence. It is necessary to ensure the healing of our families, communities, lands, and culture, so that we have something to pass on to our children.  

Do you have a favorite look in this collection?

I’m not sure if I could pick just one. I have a number of pieces in my collection that are made with innovative materials – copper, laser cut leather and hand painted, and wood. It has been exciting (and challenging) working with new materials. I really love the copper bodice that I designed and was carved by Agnes Seaweed, it’s very striking and powerful and innovative. The carving on it represents the theme of ‘coming home.’ On one side, it has warriors coming home from battle. On the other side, it represents a more personal story of returning home and connecting and reconnecting with land and family. As a result of colonization, the 60s scoop, forced displacement, and so many factors, a lot of Indigenous people grow up away from their ancestral communities.

Where can readers purchase your designs? 

Directly through me via Instagram or by contacting me through my website. I just released my first ready to wear clothing. I will have pieces from my collection and ready to wear available at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week.

What's next for you as a designer and your brand? 

Continue to create! After Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week, I will be showing my collection at Indigenous Fashion Arts in Toronto in May. I also have a piece that will be heading to New York to be on display at the American Museum of Natural History.

I have started imagining my next collection as well! I am excited for this and will be taking the time to experiment with new ideas.

Social Media Links - 

• Website - www.rebeccabakergrenier.com
• Instagram - @rebecca.baker.g