Her creations travel from Kahnawake to New York

As a child, sewing was just a pastime for Karonienhawe Diabo. Over time, that passion transformed into a career. In February, the Kahnawake resident took part in New York Fashion Week where models from her community accompanied her to showcase some twenty creations with a nod to Mohawk culture.

Translation Amanda Bennett

“I want to use my creations to educate people about our culture. I want them to understand why I use particular colours and images in my pieces,” explained Ms. Diabo from the outset. She describes her fashion as an innovative approach to Mohawk style, that is both modern and traditional at the same time. For example, her clothing displays shells of the Wampum, representations of the First Nations clans, the lunar cycle and strawberries.  

“These symbols are important to us. The Wampum shells were a trade currency used in treaties and wartime, there is the flint that represents the Mohawk people, too. We also have a ceremony and a festival dedicated to strawberries, so the elements I use have great significance,” explained the 32-year-old artist.

“I am from another generation of seamstresses and designers, so I want to offer something new by paying tribute to those who taught me.” Karonienhawe Diabo

Ms. Diabo sees her creations and a means of passing on her knowledge and culture in a variety of ways, something she considers vitally important.   

“The only way to keep our traditions and art alive is to teach them to one another,” stated the artist whose clothing is primarily made by hand. It takes several days to make a single piece.  

(Photo : Jane Fieldman)

From Passion to Business

Ms. Diabo has been sewing since the age of 8 or 9. Once she had children, she realized that she could use her talent to earn a living, while being a stay-at-home mom.  

“People contacted me to make orders, so I wanted to get my name out there professionally and social media proved to be the way to make that happen. I was able to reach people from all over North American and it took off from there,” she recalled.

In 2017, the artist created her business called She Holds the Sky, which is what her given name means in English.  

A few months later, a friend was looking for designers for a fashion show in Ottawa.  

“I volunteered without really knowing what I was getting into,” Ms. Diabo confided with a giggle. I had about 5 pieces to show. It was a big event. At that moment, I knew that I wanted to keep going and improve.”

After several fashion shows, she applied to New York Fashion Week.  

When she received a favourable response, she couldn’t believe it.  

“I didn’t tell anyone the first day. I even wrote to them to make sure it was actually me that they had chosen,” explained Ms. Diabo.

She shared that it was an incredible experience, for her as well as for the 18 models from Kahnawake. A dancer from La Prairie, Jean-Michel Dieket, was also part of the group.   

(Photo : Courtesy Jane Fieldman)

Indigenous Fashion

Ms. Diabo stressed that the fashion world is opening up and welcoming Indigenous culture, providing it with its rightful place. She also noted that society is waking up about the cultural appropriation that occurs when people wear clothing that is actually offensive to Indigenous Peoples. She thinks that symbols of First Nations’ culture are now being worn and represented in a more authentic manner.

“It’s great to see that there is even a need for this now. Many Indigenous people want to see their culture on catwalks and that also applies to native stylists, makeup artists, hair stylists and models coming together. There is so much talent in our communities,” she shared.