By Brita Brookes, Michigan & Ontario Freelance Writer
When Angela DeMontigny was a little girl she was already sketching dresses and drawing her dreams in art class. With a Cree Metis background, Angela grew up on the West Coast of Canada and moved to Ontario in 1991 when she received a six month design internship from the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, for a design competition entitled “The Winds of Change.” At the age of 24 she started her own business which featured a line of hand painted casual clothes. Now, as an adult, with 15 plus years of experience under her belt, Angela has established herself as one of Canada’s top aboriginal designers with a focus on leather, suede, natural materials and original, one of a kind designs.
Recently at the ImagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival which occurred October 14th through the 18th in Toronto, Angela was able to use her design talents to create a custom award for one of the Festival’s award recipients. As part of the “Milestone Award” Angela explained that she was commissioned to design a leather vest for Inuit filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk. “I chose muted colors, distressed lambskin, sealskin and hand made horn buttons as the palette in making this piece. I wanted the materials to reflect a cultural influence from his Nation as well as his down to earth personality,” explained Angela. With the creation being a total surprise, Zacharias accepted the vest with a huge smile and wore it for the after-awards photo session. The vest complemented his quiet nature and became a centerpiece of discussion for the after-party socializing.
Angela is no stranger to awards shows and has worked on the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards for a number of years, designing garments for hosts, presenters and performers. As an established aboriginal designer and stylist, Angela also uses her business savvy to produce fashion events and industry events that highlight Canadian native designers and performers.
At the PlanetIndigenUS Festival at Toronto’s Harborfront Centre this summer, DeMontigny was hired to create the concept and to produce the Aboriginal Fashion Show which was entitled Fire & Fashion Live 2009. Angela explained that “I came up with the concept of Fire & Fashion as a multi-media production which would allow aboriginal designers, musicians and performers to have an opportunity to be featured in the show versus just a runway with models. I wanted to raise the bar for indigenous fashion by having this be a fully produced and multi-faceted event.” Raise the bar indeed, as the production featured a stunning array of well known artists such as Plex, Melisa Pash and an incredible fire breathing and hoop dance performance by Red Pepper Spectacle, all on a runway lit by small fires on the waters of the Natrel Pond.
As part of the show event, Angela DeMontigny’s designs were featured along with five other Indigenous designers. Her new women’s line featured colorful suede bikini tops with red, blue and gold diamond patterns, paired with sexy jeans and Angela’s custom made accessory line - the new Appaloosa leather day bag and some streamlined leather and jewel detailed clutches. Also in the show were her leather and turquoise belts and new leather/jeweled cuff bracelets. The men’s line showcased leather travel bags, vests and accessories. DeMontigny’s traditional men’s line features hand painted sheep shearling, long leather jackets and leather blazers which are great with jeans or pants. Her women’s line includes all kinds of separates from tops, pants, vests, scarves, purses, skirts, dresses and a sexy fitted leather blazer that can be worn over a tank top or a business shirt. Many of the skirts are trimmed and styled with a flowing angular hem line which flatters a woman’s figure and also creates a sexy allure of freedom and of having a natural essence.
Whether it’s creating new designs for the runway, or producing an event, Angela is a firm believer in the importance of selling and presenting the best product possible. “You really need to raise the bar in the global market in order to compete…,it’s essential to really set a high standard in everything you do.”
A divorced mother, businesswoman and Native, Angela balances her many worlds by staying focused and in good health. A typical day involves getting the kids off to school, coffee, checking emails, appointments, visiting stores, reviewing proposals, marketing, and travelling to shows around the US and Canada. “You have to be self-disciplined to succeed in this business. It’s up to me to make this business work and that’s it.” Her daughter is paying attention to this and already has her own knack for styling and frequently stops her mom before she goes out for a quick review and makeover.
When asked about how she balances the traditional teachings from her community with her more modern experiences in design DeMontigny states that “its not about whether you are a traditionalist or a modern, it’s about how you are living. Are you living in a good way? How do you carry yourself, that’s part of what matters to creator.”
Part of her dedication to supporting Canadian Native artists, Angela is a regular speaker at many indigenous engagements. Recently, she returned from the Cody High Style Show in Cody, Wyoming where she was featured in a trunk show and annual fashion show. A regular feature in magazines such as “Cowboys and Indians” and “True West” as well as “Aboriginal Voices” and “Tribe,” Angela uses the press coverage to highlight her Native roots, design visions and to promote Aboriginal arts and businesses.
Working with leather material began at an early age where Angela overcame the fear of making mistakes with the unforgiving animal hides. “It’s an expensive material and the thought of making a mistake really took me awhile to get over,” stated Angela. Much like Robbie Robertson’s initial stage fright, Angela worked through the initial quirks as a designer and has evolved into a sophisticated and established master of leather hides, skins, fur, and natural materials as elements to make her clothing designs. To stay in keeping with her cultural respect for the environment, her animal hides and fur are mostly from sheep, goats, cows and occasionally deer and any wild fur is not from farmed fur entities. All of her clothing and accessories are made in Canada.
On Angela’s web page and facebook account one can review both a men’s and women’s line of clothing, a line of purses and handbags, a line of accessories and see her latest events and shows planned for the Fall and Winter Season. “The internet has helped me network with clients and buyers all over the world,” states Angela. “My goal for the next few years would be to get established in the European market and in New Zealand.” With the use of social networking, the feasibility of reaching markets across the world is now becoming easier for small business owners throughout the US and Canada.
From a stunning suede and leather beaded wedding dress to a pair of smoking hot leather Capri pants with small thunderbird designs on them, Angela’s fashions can be found being worn by both rock stars and new moms. The designs reach out to a wide range of people, all of whom have a strong eye for good design and one of a kind clothing. From sketching as a small child to the runways of the fashion world, Angela DeMontigny has shown younger Aboriginal woman, that yes, it can be done, with some hard work and self discipline. And yes, don’t forget to take a little time to have some fun and give back to the community.
To see Angela DeMontigny’s designs go to the following links:
http://www.angelademontigny.com/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12829575939
