“When I started designing, I had major imposter syndrome, which would stop me from working with other Native artists,” says 25-year-old Jenniss, who is based in Montreal, Quebec. “Participating in INYFW has given me the opportunity to meet fantastic people, to learn more about what it means to be Indigenous, and to learn more about myself.”
With his avant-garde upcycled designs, he is “giving garments a second life out of respect,” layering them with bone, leather, feathers, fish vertebrae, and other unexpected details. The result? “An armor of the heart that gives you confidence and pride—because sometimes you just have to give yourself a chance,” he says.
Photo Credit: Denis Gutierrez-Ogrinc
What began as a two-year volunteer stint in the Peruvian village of San Miguel de Pallaques for 28-year-old Jimena Muñiz-Garreta has transformed into SIQUICHA, a collective of more than 25 Indigenous artisans. Their designs represent the diversity of the South American country: woven cotton dresses from Cajamarca, alpaca knitwear from Cusco, beaded jewelry from the Amazon, and more. The brand’s name is fitting, a Quechua word meaning “the weaver’s tether”—the tool that links an artist to her loom and connects her to every thread.
“Each piece has its own unique story that is so alive, it feels as though it has its own heartbeat,” says Muñiz-Garreta, who is Native Costa Rican and lives in Lima. “We want people to experience the same awe I felt when I first set foot in the Andes and observed weavers at the loom. The magic is in the process, not just the final product. What you wear has a story; the person who made it has a name; the materials have an origin. These looks are meant to expand the edges of what fashion is, by innovating craft and empowering it to claim its space in the industry.”