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Sage Paul

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Sage Paul
Born
Toronto
NationalityEnglish River First Nation, Canada
EducationFashion Techniques & Design diploma, George Brown College, 2006
OccupationExecutive Director

Curator & Creative Director

Designer & Artist
Years active2004-present
EmployerIndigenous Fashion Arts
Board member ofToronto Arts Foundation

Sage Paul is a Denesuliné and Canadian fashion designer who uses fashion design to promote Indigenous cultures. She co-founded and serves as executive and artistic Director of the nonprofit organization Indigenous Fashion Arts.[1][2][3]

Early life and education

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Sage Paul was born in Toronto, where she and her siblings grew up.[4] Sage's mother is a fourth-generation Canadian settler of Hungarian and British ancestry. Her father, Simon Paul,[5] is Dene from English River First Nation and a former student of the Beauval Indian Residential School.[6][7] Paul is a descendent of the 1906 Treaty 10 signing between English River First Nation and the government of Canada.[8]

In 2004, Paul interned at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. She continued to work for the festival in events and marketing until 2013.[9]

In 2006, Paul earned a diploma in Fashion Techniques and Design from George Brown College.[10]

Career

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Paul's work in the fashion industry includes and creating platforms for Indigenous designers and artists.[11][12] In 2011, she self-presented her first collection entitled "End of Summer"[13] and the following year she began experimenting with multi-disciplinary, conceptual and collaborative approaches in fashion performance, bringing together Indigenous artists in fashion, craft, dance, and music, to present her collection "Synaptic City." That collection subsequently exhibited at Harbourfront Centre's 2012 Planet IndigenUs festival.[14]

In 2014, Paul co-founded Setsuné Indigenous Fashion Incubator. Setsuné means "My grandmother" in the Dene language.[15] She and her collaborators created programming to sustain traditional Indigenous practices in fashion like hide tanning, beading, quilling, and sewing.[16][17] In 2016, the Incubator partnered with Ikea Canada to design and produce the collection ÅTERSTÄLLA, which means to restore, heal, or redecorate, and it was made entirely from salvaged Ikea textiles, reflecting the traditional Indigenous value to "use everything."[18]

Later in 2016, Paul began to conceive an Indigenous fashion week. By spring 2018, she and her co-founders, Kerry Swanson and Heather Haynes, formed an artist collective and launched Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto (IFWTO) at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto.[19][20] IFWTO was met with great acclaim from audiences, media and Indigenous communities,[21][22] including a special reception hosted by the Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell at Queens Park to mark the occasion.[23]

In November 2020, IFWTO was registered as a nonprofit organization called Indigenous Fashion Arts (IFA).[24] Paul was appointed to lead the organization as Executive & Artistic Director, where she continues to explore inter-disciplinary practices in fashion at the intersection of mainstream fashion, Indigenous art and traditional practices.[25][26][27] IFA serves as a platform for Indigenous fashion designers and artists to showcase their work, share their stories, and promote Indigenous cultural expressions and traditional knowledge through fashion.[28][29]

Works and credits

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Programming and curatorial work

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  • 2022, Curator & Director, Horeh’ti Yeh Kuh, Nuit Blanche,[30] Toronto
  • 2021, Co-Curator, A Thread That Never Breaks, AbTeC Gallery, IFWTO,[31] Second Life
  • 2020, Programmer, IFWTO x Simon’s Edito Collaborative Capsule Collection,[32] Toronto[33]
  • 2016, Co-Curator, Indian Giver: Truth Telling & Narratives of Representation, Gallery 1818,  Toronto [34]

Solo shows and exhibitions

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  • 2019, Rations, Urbani_T Public Playground for Urban Culture and Creativity,[35] Toronto
  • 2018, Giving Life, Festival Mode & Design, Montreal
  • 2012, Synaptic City, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
  • 2012, Synaptic City, Gladstone Hotel, Toronto (self-presented)
  • 2011, End of Summer, Oz Studios, Toronto (self-presented)

Group shows and exhibitions

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  • 2020, Contemporary Native Art Biennial, BACA, Montreal[36]
  • 2019, The View From Here, Artport Gallery, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
  • 2019, Fast Fashion, First Thursdays, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto [37]
  • 2018, The Future, The Walrus Live, Toronto
  • 2018, Hot Culture: Indigenous Fashion, Materials & Crafts, Gallery 101, Asinabka Film & Media Arts Festival, Ottawa[38]
  • 2018, Giving Life, Otahpiaaki Fashion Week, Calgary
  • 2017, Indigenous Fashion & Wearable Art, Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective, Western Canada Fashion Week, Edmonton
  • 2017, Sculpting Reads, Word on The Street Toronto Book & Magazine Festival, Toronto
  • 2017, Crafted Strangers, The Centre for Craft, Creativity & Design, North Carolina
  • 2016, Indian Giver: Truth Telling and Narratives of Representation, Gallery 1313, Toronto
  • 2016, The Mending Lounge, Craft Ontario Storefront Gallery, Toronto
  • 2014, FashioNative, Woodland Cultural Centre, Brantford
  • 2013, Indigenous NOW, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
  • 2009, (Re)Representation, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

Commissions

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  • 2017, LabSpace Studio, Toronto, Sculpting New Reads, “7 Fallen Feathers”
  • 2016, Setsuné Indigenous Fashion Incubator, Toronto, Indian Giver, “Redress (Re-Dress)”

Costume design

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  • 2023, Video Cabaret and Crows Theatre, A Terrible Fate, Director Karin Randoja, theatre[39]
  • 2022, Nice Picture Inc., Devonshire Productions Inc., Baswewe Films, A Stellar Film Inc, Stellar, feature film
  • 2022, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Svāhā, director and creator Nova Bhattacharya,[40] dance
  • 2019, Sienna Films, Trickster (Costume Consultation), director Michelle Latimer, TV series
  • 2019, Sonar Pictures, Utopia Falls (Petra character), director Randall Thorne, TV series
  • 2019, George Brown College, Munsch Planet, director Esther Jun, theatre
  • 2019, National Arts Centre, Unnatural & Accidental Women, director Muriel Miguel, theatre
  • 2019, National Film Board of Canada, Woman Dress, director Thirza Cuthand, short film
  • 2019, Valeo Management/Jeremy Dutcher, Mehcinut, director Chandler Levack, music video
  • 2019, Video Cabaret, Too Good To Be True, director Cliff Cardinal, theatre
  • 2019, Independent, Omaagaaman, creator Waawaate Fobister, dance
  • 2018, Film Farm, Falls Around Her, director Darlene Naponse, feature film  
  • 2018, Tarragon Theatre, Cottagers and Indians, director Patti Shaughnassy, theatre
  • 2017, Theatre Kingston, Almighty Voice and His Wife, director Lib Spry, theatre
  • 2017, Young Peoples Theatre, Munschtime!, director Herbie Barnes, theatre
  • 2006, Kent Monkman, Robin’s Hood (Miss Eagle Testickle character), short film
  • 2005, Independent, Divided by Zero, director Danis Goulet, short film

Awards and honours

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In 2022, Paul was awarded the Changemaker Award at the Canadian Art & Fashion Awards.[41] In 2018, Paul was awarded the Top 25 Woman of Influence award. [42]

References

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  1. ^ Agnew, Caitlin (February 27, 2023). "Sage Paul, Founder of Indigenous Fashion Arts, Is Cracking Open the Industry". Nuvo.
  2. ^ Parker, Odessa Paloma (November 26, 2020). "Changemaker Sage Paul on Building a Future for Indigenous Design". FASHION Magazine.
  3. ^ Franklin, Zaria. "DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: SAGE PAUL". MASH Magazine.
  4. ^ Fowler, Jennifer (August 28, 2016). "Indigenous artist Sage Paul's childhood in Gabriel Dumont laid the foundation for her work today". CBC.
  5. ^ "Artist/Maker name "Paul-Dene, Simon"". Government of Canada. 1994-12-02.
  6. ^ http://archives.algomau.ca/main/sites/default/files/2012-21_003_025.pdf
  7. ^ "Beauval Indian Residential School". University of Regina.
  8. ^ Laliberte, Rick (June 20, 2022). "Treaty Ten News - June 20, 2022 - Dene Elder Marius Paul (Dene & English)". CIPI Radio.
  9. ^ "Recognizing Excellence: Sage Paul". Aboriginal Professional Association of Canada (APAC).
  10. ^ "2022 PREMIER'S AWARDS NOMINATIONS HIGHLIGHT NOTABLE GBC ALUMN". George Brown College. November 29, 2022.
  11. ^ Moore, Booth (January 24, 2023). "Milan Fashion Week to Showcase Indigenous Designers". WWD.
  12. ^ Allaire, Christian (February 22, 2023). "How Sage Paul Is Bringing Indigenous Talent to Milan Fashion Week". Vogue.
  13. ^ Miller, Rachel (2024). "3 Young Designers". Studio Magazine. 9 (1): 48–49.
  14. ^ "The Synaptic City Collection Debuts its Wearable Art Counterpart at Planet IndigenUS – August 17, 7PM". Sage Paul. July 27, 2012.
  15. ^ https://www.firstvoices.com/explore/FV/Workspaces/Data/Athabascan/Dene/Dene/learn/words/f96bee2b-3c0b-445f-855b-a95ab9ad4a53
  16. ^ Pelley, Lauren (June 4, 2016). "'Indian Giver' confronting cultural appropriation through artwork". The Toronto Star.
  17. ^ Wheeler, Kim (March 14, 2015). "Indigenous fashion designers prove authenticity can be elegant, edgy". CBC.
  18. ^ Braun, Jennifer (June 6, 2017). "Ikea Canada partners with Indigenous Fashion Incubator". FASHION Network.
  19. ^ Malik, Ghazala (June 4, 2018). "Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto: Rich culture mixes with bold statements". CBC.
  20. ^ Smith, Ainsley (March 8, 2018). "The first annual Indigenous Fashion Week takes over Toronto this spring". Daily Hive.
  21. ^ Boutsalis, Kelly (June 5, 2018). "Indigenous fashion takes the spotlight". Toronto Star.
  22. ^ Allaire, Christian (May 30, 2018). "How 6 Indigenous Designers Are Using Fashion To Reclaim Their Culture". Vogue.
  23. ^ "Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto". THE HONOURABLE ELIZABETH DOWDESWELL, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF ONTARIO. May 30, 2018.
  24. ^ "INDIGENOUS FASHION ARTS (5043294) [Extra-Provincial Federal Corporation Non-Share]". Government of Ontario. November 11, 2020.
  25. ^ Parker, Odessa Paloma (June 4, 2022). "Our Favourite Moments from the Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival". FASHION Magazine.
  26. ^ Allaire, Christian (June 7, 2022). "7 Labels to Know at This Year's Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival". Vogue.
  27. ^ Laing, Sarah (October 26, 2022). "A platform where Indigenous artists can shine". The Globe and Mail.
  28. ^ Szklarski, Cassandra (May 30, 2018). "Indigenous fashion week weaves identity, tradition and social change". The Canadian Press.
  29. ^ Nguyen, Truc (March 10, 2023). "These Indigenous Fashion Designers Are Ready to Show and Tell". ELLE.
  30. ^ "Horeh'ti Yeh Kuh (To See The Horizon At Dawn)". Indigenous Fashion Arts. 30 September 2022.
  31. ^ "Exhibition: 'A Thread That Never Breaks', AbTec + Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto, 2021". School of Interactive Arts & Technology. February 5, 2021.
  32. ^ Parker, Odessa Paloma (May 8, 2020). "Simons to Launch New Collection Showcasing Indigenous Design Talent". FASHION Magazine.
  33. ^ "IFWTO + Edito par Simons Collection". la maison simons. May 28, 2020.
  34. ^ Mistry, Anupa (June 8, 2016). "This Is What Happens When Indigenous Artists Do Their Own Appropriating". The Fader.
  35. ^ "Fashion Show: Sage Paul At Urbani_T-Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto". The Harlton Empire. July 10, 2019.
  36. ^ "26 Artists Announced for Next Contemporary Native Art Biennial". Canadian Art. February 20, 2020.
  37. ^ "#myspace: October's First Thursday". Art Gallery of Ontario. September 14, 2018.
  38. ^ "Hot Culture". Gallery 101. 2018.
  39. ^ "(EVERYONE I LOVE HAS) A TERRIBLE FATE (BEFALL THEM)". Crow's Theatre. 2022.
  40. ^ "Svaha". Nova Dance. 2023.
  41. ^ "Sage Paul – 2022 Change Maker Award". Canadian Art & Fashion Awards. 2022.
  42. ^ "Sage Paul - 2018 woman of Influence". Women of Influence Awards. 2018.
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