In the burgeoning movement of Indigenous fashion, designers increasingly use their brands to raise awareness about their culture, language, and traditions. Among them is Brenda Morin, a unique designer based in Edmonton, whose work carries a deeply personal and cultural message. Read more on edmontonka.
How It All Began
When Brenda Morin’s grandmother passed away, her aunts were cleaning the house and discovered scattered scraps of paper. These papers contained short stories and memories written in their grandmother’s handwriting.
They found many flowing cursive inscriptions on scraps of paper and postcards. The women collected these writings, compiled them into a small book, made photocopies, and shared them with all the children and grandchildren, including Brenda.
Inspired by her grandmother’s writings, Brenda decided to incorporate these stories into her clothing designs. This inspiration led her to create a line of casual clothing, including shirts and leggings, aimed at reviving endangered Indigenous languages. She named her collection Mixed Blood Apparel.
Brenda is one of the few designers working in this space. Her work debuted at the Otahpiaaki Indigenous Fashion Week in Calgary in 2016 and was subsequently showcased in Vancouver in 2017 and Toronto the following summer. In Alberta, the fashion industry has become a movement promoting awareness of Indigenous culture, traditions, and issues. Most local designers use their labels and designs as a form of advocacy, not just for fashion.
The Collection
Brenda Morin’s line of shirts and leggings features solid colours adorned with words, phrases, and even entire sentences written in Cree. She explained that her vision for Mixed Blood Apparel is to create modern, stylish designs that honour Indigenous culture and help revive endangered Indigenous languages. Additionally, her work supports the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Brenda recognizes the imminent threat of extinction facing Indigenous languages and has devoted herself to reversing this trend. Her grandmother’s stories play a central role in her designs, beautifully preserving words and sentences through her clothing.
Her Grandmother’s Story
Brenda’s grandmother belonged to the Michel First Nation and was sent to a residential school in St. Albert in 1945 after her father passed away. She spent much of her time at the school, losing most of her native language and speaking primarily English.
However, in 2008, as she lay on her deathbed surrounded by her children and grandchildren after being diagnosed with stomach cancer, she urged her family to ensure her language would not vanish. Miraculously, as she approached the end of her life, her Cree language returned to her, and she began speaking it fluently.
Over the years, Brenda found comfort in her grandmother’s writings, often revisiting them to reminisce. At the same time, she pondered how best to honour her memory and preserve her legacy.
This desire inspired Brenda to create her clothing collection, and she takes immense pride in her success. She believes that everyone should embrace and celebrate their culture and mixed heritage.
A Unique Collection with a Powerful Message
Brenda’s first collection garnered significant public interest. She later designed Leggings Kohkum’s Story Leggings, featuring texts found by her aunts written in her grandmother’s handwriting. One design tells a story of her grandmother as a young girl going hunting with her father, learning how to skin animals, and walking in the wilderness despite her dislike of raw meat.
In a short span of time, Brenda’s brand has grown significantly. She has hosted several fashion shows and regularly collaborates with other Indigenous designers. Together, they organize monthly Not Your Squaw fashion shows, continuing to inspire and advocate for Indigenous culture through fashion.