When Destiny Seymour and Marissa Freed met, they realised they had more in common than being designers.
The pair discovered they also shared a passion for Indigenous art; in addition, neither were strangers to discrimination – Destiny as an Indigenous Canadian woman and Marissa as a Jewish-Canadian.
After this first meeting of creative minds, they decided to collaborate and create a design collection that breaks down cultural barriers, educates, and promotes positive representation both in Canada and across the globe. Thus, Indigo Arrows X FREED was born.
Destiny of Indigo Arrows specializes in creating minimalistic, Anishinaabe patterns inspired by ancient pottery and the bone tools of her ancestors. Marissa of FREED specializes in high-quality manufacturing and sustainable design.
Together they have designed a collection of beautiful home pieces, launching with a range of throw cushions, made with faux fur and vegan leather, as well as face masks.
This year’s discovery of 215 buried indigenous children near Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia and 751 unmarked graves at another former boarding school in Saskatchewan, has raised global awareness about the oppression of Canada’s Indigenous peoples.
Destiny and Marissa believe that centring Indigenous art and design can help play a part in creating equality.
Canada has 634 recognized Indigenous governments across the country with unique histories, languages, cultural practices, and spiritual beliefs.
The various art forms from these many communities represent a mosaic of cultures across the country. For Indigenous communities, art represents culture, language, and storytelling, and is an integral part of keeping history alive. It has also played a vital role in bringing understanding and expression of the hardships that Indigenous communities have faced.
A portion of their sales will be donated to an after-school club for Indigenous girls and Two-Spirit youth between the ages of 9-13, focusing on Indigenous cultural reclamation, environmental stewardship, self-development, and community involvement.
Destiny and Marissa explain that representation is important and diversity of design in your home is a great way to support all Canadian artists. We are proud of our products and our story. We hope to build a community of eager supporters and followers who are inspired by the story and continue to break barriers with us.
In an industry that has historically been non-inclusive of Indigenous design, we are a first of a kind entity. We combine Anishinaabe patterns with unconventional fashion textiles, and every piece that we create is designed and developed right here in our hometown of Winnipeg.
We hope you love our first collection as much as we do!
by Alison Lowe
Destiny Seymour and Marissa Freed of INDIGO ARROWS x FREED
Order from the range here and follow them on Instagram here.
