
This Dress Took First Class to a Whole New Level, and No Attendant Was Involved!
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Get ready to be amazed by the incredible journey of a dress that almost had a more luxurious trip than most of us ever will! Straight out of Yellowknife, fashion designer Cheryl Fennell crafted a dazzling dress made entirely out of birch bark, intended to steal the spotlight at Vancouver's Indigenous Fashion Week. But how do you get such a masterpiece from Yellowknife to Vancouver? The solution might surprise you!
Initially, Air Canada had pledged to give this remarkable dress the VIP treatment by hanging it in the business class section, keeping it perfectly pristine. But oh no, plans changed when the flight got cancelled. Rebooked on Canadian North, a packed plane left no room for such finery. Panic ensued - what was Cheryl going to do? Enter the heroic pilot with a heart of gold, offering a closet in the cockpit for this special passenger!
As if the drama couldn’t escalate further, Cheryl’s stopover in Edmonton threw another curveball. The dress wouldn’t fit in the security scanner and turned into quite the spectacle. A throng of curious onlookers gathered as the “lead security people” worked their magic to ensure the dress could continue its jaw-dropping journey - and boy, did onlookers eat it up!
The dress, Fennell's finale for the show, is more than just a fashion statement. Meticulously pieced together over two months using over 150 pieces of birch bark, it’s a labor of love, stitched using sinew with all bark holes punctured by hand. And it wasn't just the dress that wowed everyone—wait until you see the long, stunning birch bark earrings crafted by the talented Laura Vittrekwa!
This year's Indigenous Fashion Week themed "fire" saw Fennell's pieces blazing, but her final piece reflected renewal. Birch bark, rich in symbolism of rebirth and healing, was the perfect choice. As she strode throughout the event, whispers followed: it's not just a dress; it’s nature alive on stage, bringing ancestral resilience into modern fashion.
Attendees, including those at the after-party, were enamored, with many whispering, “I came here just to see your collection.” This was more than just fashion - it was a celebration of Indigenous heritage where the past, present, and future converge. Cheryl’s creativity shone through, reminding everyone that at the root of life, nature calls. And without a doubt, Cheryl's birch bark dress answered magnificently.
Check out these incredible stories to dive deeper into Indigenous fashion: - Men sew their own vests with a Dene fashion designer - EU reviewing its sealskin ban - Designer heading to Paris speaks on Indigenous fashion's global impact - First Nations designers own the catwalk in Montreal