Ahead of Red Dress Day, a conversation with the fashion designer brings future-forward vision to the catwalk. Her work is part fashion design, part fine art—and all forward motion.
In 2017, the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta, featured a 65-year retrospective on one of the province’s renowned Indigenous artists, Alex Janvier. I had never heard of him until I went to this exhibit, but afterwards, I could never forget him. I have been to hundreds of exhibits, and this one just rooted itself in my memory. Janvier only passed away in 2024, but his art truly spoke of future times. It was electric with stylized lines in a rainbow of colours.
Of Denesuline and Saulteaux descent, Alexandre Simeon Janvier was born in 1935 on the Le Goff Reserve in Alberta. In 2002, Janvier received a National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and he was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2007. His paintings were said to exude “vivid colours and calligraphic lines that combine Denesuline iconography with Western art styles and techniques.” For me, his artwork was so different from all the Indigenous artists I had revered, like Norval Morriseau, Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, and Kent Monkman.
So why am I talking about Alex Janvier when this interview features Reggie Harrold? Well, this admiration for these contemporary Indigenous art creators is what drew me to Harrold’s fashion design. Like Janvier, when I saw her fashion designs, I was stopped in my tracks. Immediately, I thought, “Who is this designer?” She had a similar, unique stylized design, but it was in clothing, walking down the runway. Nothing I had seen before that moment.
Reggie Harrold; The Making of an Artist
Originating from Fort Nelson First Nation, Harrold has strong support from her community. Harrold’s heritage is both Dene/Slavey from her father’s side and Secwepemc/Shuswap from her mother’s side. The passion for clothing design, like most, started during her formative years. Her mother was a strong influence, a designer in her own right. Other design influences have been from fashion industry icons such as Alexander McQueen, Viktor & Rolf, and various Indigenous Fashion designers.
Harrold is inspired by the materials she uses. For instance, she decided to knit with artificial sinew, which is unusual. Sinew, itself, is normally used for binding or mending, not for creating a whole outfit. However, she wanted to explore what could be done with it. The result was her sinew dress witnessed at the Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week show in 2025; then again in March 2026 at UBC’s Slow Fashion Show.
Her Spirit Journey
Harrold began her studies in art by doing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of BC Okanagan. Closer to graduation, she found comfort in working in fabric construction. This redirection spawned further fashion exploration at John Casblanca’s Apparel Design program. During the combination of these two academic ventures, she came up with her signature fabric motif. She talks more about this in the interview. In 2023, she graduated with her master’s degree in fine arts. Upon graduation, a fire ignited, and a whirlwind of creative endeavors erupted.
She exhibited at the Vancouver Museum of Art’s “Spirit Journeys” Exhibition in 2023. From there, a Banff Arts residency and the recent fashion shows at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week and UBC’s Slow Fashion Show surfaced. However, one thing is sure: her heritage is always a part of the conversation. She has said her design “…explores the intersection of traditional Indigenous cultural practices and contemporary fashion.” When asked what advice she gives Indigenous youth debating their focus on the arts, she says, “trust your intuition, trust your practice.” As well, Harrold stresses to “look towards your community for support.”
Future Visions
Future forward, Harrold wants continuous growth for her fashion and art making in that industry. Currently, she is taking a management course to move her forward in this pursuit. Plus, she has been invited to the Vancouver Fashion Week in mid-October. Additionally, she hopes to start exploring exhibitions down south, possibly Santa Fe or New York. Meanwhile, her designs further explore different aspects such as movement and sound. For Harrold, “every day is about art.”
To recognize and honor upcoming Red Dress Day on May 5th, here is the video featuring Reggie Harrold’s Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week (VIFW) Red Dress Night 2025.
For further background on RED DRESS DAY, check out Jaime Black-Morsette’s Interview