First Nation to celebrate ribbon skirts and Indigenous culture with fashion show and market

MOBERLY LAKE, B.C. — A fashion runway will be the centrepiece of an event at the Cultural Centre at Saulteau First Nations (SFN) at the end of January.

SFN will host an Indigenous-themed Fashion Show and Market on Saturday, January 31st. The lead organizer of the event is Kirsta Lindstrom.

Lindstrom told Energeticcity.ca the event was spurred by her participation in a ribbon skirt workshop in 2025, and is being held in the same month as National Ribbon Skirt Day on January 4th.

Seen as symbolic, ribbon skirts are handmade garments which represent aspects of an Indigenous woman’s life, including resiliency and connection to culture.

“For a long time, ribbon skirts were one of the only things that people have carried forward from the old times,” said Lindstrom. “It’s one of the things we’re still continuing to practice.

“…We are happy to have a fashion show to celebrate everybody who’s making their own regalia, like pow wow wear and ribbon skirts, ribbon shirts, ribbon dresses, whatever it is that they want to present and show their community.”

Lindstrom says with the loss of Elders, some elements of Indigenous culture – such as the speaking of languages – are being lost. 

However, she says events such as this are what keep the heartbeat of the culture at the forefront, celebrating Indigenous history and the resiliency of First Nations.

“It is really important that we still share and that we still acknowledge culture and who we are as a people,” said Lindstrom. “This is one way where we can use our textiles and our creativity and our creativeness to connect to our spirituality. Just because you don’t speak your language doesn’t mean that you’re not practicing your culture.”

Each designer will be able to come on stage and speak about their design and the inside story of how it came to be, and upon the show’s conclusion, ribbon skirts will be displayed at SFN’s Culture Centre for a period of time.

Additionally, a fashion market will be alongside the show within the Cultural Centre, featuring ribbon skirt accessories, materials and even jewelry.

“It will be a good chance for [designers] to not only showcase on the runway, but also they will be able to sell some of their things,” said Lindstrom.

Lindstrom has reached out to designers in SFN, nearby West Moberly First Nations (WMFN) and the community of Chetwynd for entries.

She says she hopes to showcase other pieces of Indigenous wear, including moccasins, mukluks, medallions and gloves in future fashion shows.

The SFN Fashion Show and Market takes place on Saturday, January 31st from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the SFN Cultural Centre in Moberly Lake. Admission to the event is free.

More information and how to enter the show can be found by emailing Lindstrom at klindstrom@saulteau.com.