Chilcotin designer Jill Setah, who currently lives in the Okanagan, is looking for two-spirited models to participate in an upcoming New York fashion show in the fall.
According to Setah, “two-spirit” is a common term in First Nation culture to describe someone with both feminine and masculine qualities.
READ MORE: Local fashion designer gets New York invite
Setah is looking to recruit six models over the next three months to showcase her First Nation artwork, which aims to raise more awareness around Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).
“I’m custom making the fabric in the collection to highlight the MMIWG. I’ll be making the pieces 100 per cent from start to finish,” said Setah.
“All my deigns are self-explanatory, when you see the garments you will understand the First Nation’s culture.”
Between 1980 and 2014 alone, the Canadian Government said almost 1,100 of 6,849 police-reported female homicide cases in Canada were from Indigenous women.
Setah said she hopes the event will bring a renewed focus on many of the MMIWG cases.
“Many of these First Nation people haven’t been heard or seen from since they went missing,” said Setah.
“As a mother of four children myself, I want to she light on families that are dealing with the loss of a loved one at home.”
To help with the recruitment campaign, Setah said she will be reaching out to potential models via word-of-mouth and on social media.
Setah has been running her own First Nation fashion business for five years and holds a fashion design and merchandising diploma.
If you’re interested in participating at the fashion show in New York, you can reach out to Setah on her businesses’s Facebook page.
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