WABANOONKWE
Where Trend - Meets Tradition
An Authentic Indigenous Stylist & Cultural Visual Arts Educator
Boozhoo (Hello)
Wabanoonkwe. The meaning of her name is "Early Morning Spirit Woman, the one who greets the sun as it rises" She is a mother, sister, aunty and military spouse. Wabanoonkwe comes from a strong blood line of rich culture and deeply rooted traditions. She is a proud Anishinabekwe from the Ojibwe Tribe of Treaty 3, located in Northwestern Ontario, Canada.
Originally, Wabanoonkwe had desires of becoming a Police Officer, upon high school graduation she attended the Police Academy only to learn that it wasn't her calling. Being an Entrepreneur was what spoke to her heart. She started her first company at the age of 17, a very successful clothing line which she called Dinawo. From there she went on to create many other start ups in the Multi-Media & Fashion Industry allowing her resources to highlight underground and under funded artists to gain the exposure they deserved. As a Creative Director and Designer, her goal was to create a platform to showcase Indigenous Culture with Global exposure. Her commitment to hard work and determination lead her to travel overseas, collaborate with designers world wide and to experience cultures on an International level, and she's just getting started!
Sustaining cultural arts thru land based harvesting is extremely important to Wabanoonkwe, as they are the main ingredient to her jewelry designs and workshops. Each season Wabanoonkwe travels north to Canada to the Indigenous Lands of her community to harvest Mother Earths supplies. She honors her ancestors by keeping these traditions alive. Her jewelry and art is designed as One-Of-A-Kind Collectors Items that are hand executed, each carrying its own creation story, making her custom work a valuable piece of art.
Wabanoonkwe acquired an Associates of Arts and a Business Degree that plays an essential role to the success of her business journey. As a Military Spouse her family is constantly moving which gave her the tools to be a very versatile business operator. Although continuously moving hasn't prevented her from her cultural traditions and practices, Wabanoonkwe still travels home to the lands of the Ojibwe People to partake in ceremonial celebrations.
Wabanoonkwes work can be found at:
Beyond Bucksin
Native Max Magazine
Urban Native Mag
APTN
CBC
NAMW 2013
Seven Generations Series
Star Pheonix
Glamour Magazine
Men's Health Magazine
DC Swim Week 2016-2018
Native America Calling
L'oreal Women Rule Summit 2018
New York Fashion Week 2016-2019,
Australia, Bundjalung Indigenous Fashion Week 2022
Italy, Pisa
France, Paris
Canada
USA