In the end, Dixie Jenny Thompson's trip to Vancouver for Indigenous Fashion Week went better than she could have imagined.
In a surprise twist, one of the Fort McPherson-based bead worker's pieces was purchased by esteemed designer Lindsay King, and worn by model Chanel Gomez on the runway.
"It was really amazing," Thompson said, looking back on the moment the designer purchased a pair of earrings from her. "It was a total surprise.
"I was almost starstruck. [King] had people helping her, paying for her, and a camera recording me. I was like who is this? They were talking among each other like 'should we put this in the show?' Then they went away to look at some other things, but they came back right away and were like 'yes, we'd like to buy those ones.'
"They paid me more than I was selling them for."
Thompson, who was born in Hay River, and grew up in Fort Simpson before settling Fort McPherson, was one of five NWT creatives to attend Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week (VIFW), which ran from Nov. 20-23 in the city. The group attended the event with NWT Arts, a branch of the GNWT that supports the territory's artists and craftspeople.
Selling a piece to a reputable designer like King was the highlight of the trip for Thompson, but the event was a big success for her by other metrics too. She sold "basically" all of the 58 pieces her brought to sell during the visit.
"My work is made with traditional stuff from the land," she said. "So a lot of moose hide, caribou antler, elk antler, moose antler, porcupine quills. I had a few caribou hair tufting pieces, too."
Thompson also enjoyed the opportunity to mingle and network with other Indigenous creatives at the event, which is attend by thousands of people each year.
"I talked to a lot of artists there," she said. "I supported their work. It was really nice to also talk with people within the Northwest Territories that I didn't know and just to see their work."
"There's really something special about seeing Indigenous people thrive, and really be able to be themselves and express their culture in a safe place. It was just so beautiful and heartwarming and it filled my cup completely."
Thompson is mostly self-taught. She began experimenting with beading in 2018, when she learned the basics of the craft from an Elder during an on-the-land component of her training to become a social worker. She started making her own earrings in 2019, and started selling her work around 2021.
Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week was the first event she attended with NWT Arts, but she's hoping to "expand" by joining the organization on trips to markets in other regions in the future. She is also keen to return to the Vancouver event next year if the opportunity arises.
"I would love to go back next year," she said. "It was a really great experience, just being able to connect with people and hear their stories and talk to them about my work."
