Two years ago I had the great opportunity to attend the annual Canadian Aboriginal Festival held in Ontario. In conjunction with the large powwow, Turtle Concepts hosts a fashion show to highlight First Nations fashion designers.
Headed up by Dave Jones of the Garden River First Nation, Turtle Concepts has hosted the Fashion Pavilion at the Canadian Aboriginal Festival for over a decade.
Through his company, Jones seeks to bring a healthier image to the runway by introducing different standards to the model industry – standards that are centered on confidence-building and boosting self-esteem.
In its heyday, Turtle Concepts did a lot for fashion designers and Native youth, but I honestly don't know if the event is still happening to this day. It seems as though a lot of groups that focus on Native youth self-esteem and confidence-building through modeling rise and disappear. So this begs the question, How do we create platforms for our youth that will persist? If Turtle Concepts is still going strong - what is their trick?
Click here to read my review of the Turtle Concepts fashion event held at CANAB in 2010.