The Edge
Chloë Angus; Photo: courtesy
Chloë Angus Founder, Chloë Angus Designs Chloë Angus is known for her fashion business Chloë Angus Designs. Located on unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territories, this sustainable company creates modern fashion and home décor while collaborating with First Nations artists and incorporating Indigenous art. Angus’ heritage may be English, Scottish and Irish, but her work and collaboration with First Nations people are remarkable. Angus is the founder of Chloë Angus Designs, a fashion company and studio based in Vancouver, British Columbia; Angus’ also co-owns her company with her husband, Gabe, who is Métis. Her company creates modern fashions and home decor in collaboration with Indigenous artists across Canada. This collaboration incorporates Indigenous art and culture into everyday style. Angus works di-
rectly with the artists to create each collection and is passionate about using her skill set to work with Indigenous artists while creating fair compensation and opportunities. Angus’ company aims to celebrate Indigenous history, art, and culture and have made it a priority to promote and share the significant artwork that each artist creates. Her goal is to unite people, encourage an open dialogue, promote better cultural understanding, and celebrate Indigenous culture. Another goal of Angus’ company is to sustain a healthy body image. “We have realistic sizing for our garments, and when it comes to models,” she says. “We like to show all types of beauty.” Angus uses models of all shapes, sizes, ages, and backgrounds. Angus’ ancestors immigrated to Canada in the mid-1800s, specifically in British Columbia. Living here gave Angus the privilege of growing up in a predominantly First Nations community on the west coast. “This gave me an understanding and deep respect for Indigenous knowledge, strength,
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and culture,” Angus explains. Angus has always been into fashion and style her whole life. “I was born to do this,” she says. “My spirit is creative; my medium is fabric; my passion is creating a style that uplifts the person who wears it.” Angus describes her style as classic, elegant, comfortable, and powerful with accessories that tell her life stories, all of which spread through her fashion company. Pearls and Formline [Formline art is a feature of the Northwest Coast tribal art] are what she’s recognized for. The pearls used in some of her work come straight from the oyster farm where she was raised. Growing up in a small First Nations community provided Angus with a positive experience of love and care. “We all knew and cared for each other,” she describes. But when she moved to Vancouver, she discovered a separation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. “There was nowhere for people to get to know each other, support each other, celebrate together, and experience each other’s positive qualities. This causes a lack of understanding and respect among people that leads to distrust and racism.” Gabe’s–Angus’ husband who co-owns Chloë Angus Designs–great grandfather was from the Red River area in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His grandfather was a fur trader who moved throughout the west coast before settling in Vancouver. Gabe’s background in global operations helps the company develop into an international company. Making everything better was what inspired Angus to start Chloë Angus Designs. “A designer to make better clothing, a better way inspired me to start my company,” she explains. Being raised on an organic seafood farm-made, Angus wants to make clothing “better” for the environment, a driving force of hers. “Sustainability is an important part of the company’s ethos; we are always striving to use natural and technically-advanced fabrics and techniques in creating collections, making it better for our bodies and our planet.” As a sustainable company, Chloë Angus Designs supports the ‘Made in Canada’ economy by producing locally in Vancouver in a sweatshop-free environment. The landscape of the west coast also influences Angus’ design aesthetic. “Color, texture, and diversity; nature at its finest is so inspiring!” she exclaims. “The west coast landscape is breathtaking, and I find endless creative influence from all it offers.” Angus describes the towering mountains with giant trees that grow to the edge of glaciers and deep seas with low tides that show off the secret underwater world; everything that she channels into her design aesthetic. “All this wrapped in the culture of the First Nations people who’s oral history tells the story of this land through colorful imagery and narrative.” Chloë Angus Designs became known for collaborating with First Nations artists while giving them fair compensation and credit. This trait helps Angus be an ally for First Nations designers and artists by providing a platform for them that ensures high-quality business for both customers and the artists. “Indigenous people around the world deserve a seat at the table to collaborate equally and be fairly compensated and credited for their part,” Angus explains. “Fashion is just one of those tables, First Nations artists have been fighting for this for a long time and have established strong businesses and markets for the work they do, and I’m simply an ally to this.” Angus was nativemax.com
