Feather Miigwans: How does the symbolism of 11:11 influence your creative process and the narratives within your fashion collections?
Jason Baerg: Angel numbers don’t directly influence my creative direction, but they validate my path. I feel encouraged that I am on the right track when I look up and see master numbers on the clock. Numerology and symbology have always influenced my creative process. Some of my favourite numbers to activate while producing and presenting art and fashion include: 2, 4, 7, 8, 11, 13, 22, 28, 33, and 360.
Feather: In your last fashion collection, air plays a central role. How do you select materials to embody such elemental themes?
Jason: I am grateful to have completed a full cycle around the Cree Medicine Wheel, using it as a framework to honour our knowledge systems, ways of being, and cosmologies over the last four years.
In 2022, I drew inspiration from the colour yellow, representing Fire and the East, where the sun rises and ceremony begins. In 2023, I created a collection that honoured the South, featuring the colour red and elements of Earth and Metals. In 2024, my collection drew inspiration from the West, utilizing the colour blue and the element of Water. Most recently, in 2025, we presented a collection inspired by the North, embracing the colour white, the element of Air, and our Elders and Traditional Knowledge.
I use natural fibres like leather, silk, cotton, linen, and horsehair. If I use synthetic materials, they are end-of-run stock, meaning they are no longer being manufactured, or I reuse and recycle materials. Additionally, we upcycle fur coats to honour these animal skins. This approach allows us to utilize beautiful materials and reintroduce them into the luxury market.
Feather: How do your Cree and Métis heritage inform the silhouettes and structures in your designs?
Jason: The late, great Bobbi Lee Maracle, an Indigenous Canadian writer and academic from the Stó:lō Nation, who was also of Métis descent, profoundly impacted me. I had the privilege of conducting workshops for Indigenous youth alongside her. In these workshops, she introduced the idea that “Story finds its Teller,” suggesting that stories possess a sentient quality and exist as entities in their own right.
As a Métis person who grew up in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, I’ve drawn inspiration from my own lived experiences. I’ve travelled to over 30 countries and worked or researched actively in over 20. The world informs who I am and what I make. I am deeply grateful for the teachings and wisdom I’ve received from my Métis family, community and other Indigenous peoples from around the globe. Nothing can be created in isolation; external influences shape our work. Therefore, I strive to prioritize my values and hopes for the future in everything I make. At times, I look to language for titles or inspiration, echoing the thoughts of Jolene Rickard, an artist, scholar, and cherished community member from the Tuscarora Nation, who states that the artist’s role is to reflect the deep philosophies of their people. This pursuit is something I aim to emulate; to advance my Nation and our future needs as Indigenous peoples through my creative practice.
Feather: As a pioneer in integrating technology with fashion, how do you see digital tools enhancing Indigenous storytelling in your work?
Jason: New tools available today are shaping the innovation of our times. Throughout my career as an artist, I have recognized my responsibility to push the boundaries of discourse and advance our artistic disciplines into new realms of thought, creativity, and creative production. Completing my graduate studies in New Digital Media in the first class at George Brown College in 2000, I valued collaborative activities and integrated this approach into my creative processes. Education is a great place to experiment and grow, so in 2016, I completed an M.F.A. at Rutgers University, where I continued to advance my digital and creative skillset.
I still remember when Adobe introduced various software programs, including Illustrator. I began experimenting with these tools right away. Digital abstraction has significantly influenced my direction in fashion printmaking. Additionally, I incorporated laser cutting into my artistic practice early on; I was one of the first artists in the world to laser-cut paintings during my residency at The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2012. Today, I also utilize laser cutting in my fashion practice.
Feather: How does your identity as a Two-Spirit individual shape the narratives and inclusivity within your fashion lines?
Jason: Great question; yes, I’m Two-Spirit and love fashion—outrageous! How do queer contributions benefit the greater world? We know they do in profound ways. For me, growing up in a small northern community at a time when phobias ran rampant, fashion represented escape, aspiration, fantasy, and emancipation. Fashion was a dream, and journalists like Jeanne Becker and Tim Blanks introduced me to my mentors: Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, and Helmut Lang, and my muses Yasmeen [Ghauri], Linda [Evangelista], and Shalom [Harlow].
Today, I draw inspiration from artists like Barb Madsen, who simply “queers” things with her genius. I also believe in the superpowers of the queer community and aim to challenge gender designations in fashion through my work. I approach fashion with design dexterity, focusing on making clothing that transforms our notions of who can wear what and how. Everyone gets access.
Ayimach_Horizons held a fashion show at the Royal Ontario Museum in 2023, featuring one versatile garment that can be worn in countless ways. This shirt can be styled as pants or a dress, and it’s reversible with an interesting design feature that can be zipped up or down to create a tuxedo look in the front or back. Anyone can wear it in multiple ways—to queer something in my studio is to offer rigour in the design process and open up new ways of possibilities and outcomes for a garment.
Feather: Can you describe a moment during a fashion show that felt particularly ceremonial or transformative for you?
Jason: All of my creative productions and presentations are ceremonial. Most activities in life carry that same significance. For example, eating is a sacred exchange of energy from plants or animals to us. Art and Fashion are imbued with intention; ideas can inspire change and empower audiences and those who bring the magic to life within a piece.
My sister passed away recently, unexpectedly, and during a fashion performance, we had a dancer perform in a cape. In real-time on the runway, this Anishinaabe performer spoke about how this moment animated the opportunity for them to activate ceremony by dancing my late sister’s Spirit across vast waters with the cape. It was on point as we concurrently honoured Water in that collection. Initially, the cape was not intended for this purpose, but its true significance became clear as we finalized the choreography and fashion lineup. Life and art create meaning as “Story finds its Teller.” I am here to help in that process.
Feather: How do you approach colour theory in your designs to convey specific emotions or stories?
Jason: I appreciate all the teachings I’ve received about colour. However, through my traditional teachings as a Cree Métis person, I understand that colour can also embody space and time; we can incorporate these metaphysical insights into our creative work.
As discussed, yellow is associated with the East, where sunrises and ceremonies begin and is linked to fire. We animate colour and recognize that it possesses physical properties, which we can convey through the stories we tell and how we use it.
Josef Albers’ colour theory also challenges how I build chromatic palettes for a collection or art piece. My training and experience as a painter encourage me to take risks and experiment with combinations that are yet to be seen or expected.
I also consider Indigenous literature formats and story dynamics for the runway or in the gallery, striving to present as complete an experience as creatively possible. Every great story could feature multiple lead characters, multiple crises to resolve, and that tension can be mirrored or amplified on the runway. I’m all about controlled drama; I want the work to be as exciting as possible!
Feather: In what ways do you engage with Indigenous communities during your design process?
Jason: When creating, I travel, walk and meditate extensively; I respond intuitively to everything around me. I primarily work within the Indigenous community and strive to utilize as many Indigenous models whenever possible. My community and culture play a crucial role in shaping my values, and this connection directs my intention and enhances my creative process.
Feather: How do you envision fashion as a platform for advocacy and raising awareness on Indigenous issues?
Jason: I am grateful for our community values, which aim to unite us in harmonious engagement with one another. I advocate for the rights of Two-Spirit and Métis individuals within the Indigenous community and beyond. I strive to echo these values on the runway by challenging gender norms and ensuring that as many Métis models as possible are represented. Additionally, I have founded two organizations to support the advancement of Two-Spirit, Indigenous Queer and Métis rights. I believe my art and fashion practices also serve as teaching tools for other Two-Spirit, Indigenous Queer, and Métis individuals, and strive to inspire and support emerging talent as they advance as much as possible.
Feather: What are your aspirations for the evolution of Indigenous fashion on global platforms?
Jason: I want to see the most talented, well-intended visionaries take over the planet in all sectors of industry and creative practices. There are some profoundly intelligent and talented Indigenous people, and I welcome the best to step forward to lead. We are capable and have real contributions to make!
Feather: What message or legacy do you hope to leave through your fashion endeavors?
Jason: I aspire to make a significant contribution to art and fashion, comparable to or surpassing that of Picasso or Yves Saint Laurent. I am not here to compete; I am here to honour my gifts and potential.
The Textile Museum of Canada and Feather Miigwans would like to thank the Canada Council for the Arts for generously supporting this project.
