Thursday, March 23, 2023 – Indigenous streetwear: heart, culture, and resilience on your sleeve

Indigenous-owned businesses like The Rez Life, The NTVS, OXDX, and Section 35 help drive casual Native fashion by turning out jackets, shorts, and beanies stitched with Native art and shirts splashed with words and phrases like “Land Back”, “Resilient”, and “Skoden.” Streetwear is casual fashion that draws from the aesthetic elements of sportswear, hip-hop, punk, and skateboard - and mixes in community vibes and coolness. Indigenous fashion shows include the latest in streetwear and Indigenous celebrities like Amber Midthunder and the cast of Reservation Dogs drip Native streetwear and carry with them messages of cultural vibrancy, strength, and resistance everywhere they go. Today on Native America Calling, we speak with Ricko DeWilde (Athabascan), hunter and owner of HYDZ Gear; Justin Louis (member of the Samson Cree Nation), creative director and founder of Section 35; and Sean Rayland-Boubar (Anishinaabe from Sagkeeng First Nation), founder and owner of Red Rebel Armour.