'We need to break those barriers': Sask. model becomes first Indigenous person to open for Dior fashion show
'We need to break those barriers': Sask. model becomes first Indigenous person to open for Dior fashion show
An 18-year-old Saskatchewan woman became the first Indigenous model to open for a Dior fashion show, in late February. Now the model, from Fishing Lake First Nation, advocates for more representation on the runway.
Heather Diamond Strongarm wants to see more Indigenous people in the fashion industry.
"Indigenous people’s contributions to the fashion industry are often appropriated or overlooked, so we need to break those barriers and show people that we're still here," Strongarm told CTV News.
She was recently named Vogue’s ‘Top 10 Standout Models of Fall 2023’.
“I was shocked when I saw it. I didn’t think I would be one of the top 10 models,” she said.
Strongarm walked her first runway show modelling for Proenza Schouler at New York Fashion Week earlier this year. Since then she travelled around the world and celebrated her 18th birthday in Milan. She said her biggest accomplishment was simply getting started.
“I was always a shy and anxious person, and it took a lot for me to get out of my comfort zone,” she said.
She began her career in 2021 when she attended a modelling workshop in her home First Nation. She soon caught the eye of Anita Norris with Anita Norris Model Management (ANM).
“For an agent, it’s such a joy to see something that you start just take off so quickly."
Strongarm also signed with New York agency The Society Management. She spends most of her time in the big apple but stays close to her roots.
“Things that keep me grounded are coming home to my family members or else just coming back home to my community,” Strongarm said.
She plans to follow in her family's footsteps and pursue a career in social work. For now, she continues to strut the catwalk and hopes to one day work with well-known fashion company Chanel.
At the moment, wildfires are burning across six provinces and one territory in Canada — and they’re still spreading in what’s being called an unprecedented fire season. While firefighters work tirelessly to battle the merciless flames and prevent further destruction, scientists say the wildfires are linked to climate change and that this will be the new normal.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he raised concerns about reports that LGBTQ2S+ rights and democracy are under threat in Poland during a Friday visit with its prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, in Toronto.
Air Canada says travellers should be prepared for further flight disruptions as it works to return service to normal following a technical malfunction Thursday.
As more Canadians pass their family cottages down to the next generation, 'major shifts' in the ownership of recreational homes will occur, according to Re/Max. But amid concerns around the cost of housing, some may be wondering whether they can afford to keep that family cottage. Here's what younger generations need to know about inheriting a recreational property and the market today.
A 38-year-old sergeant in the Canadian Army was fined $3,000 and issued a severe reprimand after he made what a military judge described as 'utterly disgusting' anti-Jewish comments while conducting an infantry training course in 2021.
Pierre Poilievre is off to Manitoba to rally Conservative supporters ahead of a byelection that Maxime Bernier is hoping will send him back to Parliament. The far-right People's Party of Canada leader lost his Quebec seat in the 2019 federal vote and lost again in the 2021 election.
The number of people in Canada with inflammatory bowel disease is increasing rapidly and is expected to grow to 470,000 by 2035, according to a new report from Crohn's and Colitis Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is committed to keeping David Johnston in place as Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference, despite a majority of MPs voting in favour of his stepping down from the gig.
The Weyburn Police Service (WPS) says it has charged a 27-year-old woman following the theft of several "high-powered" firearms and a large amount of ammunition from a residence in nearby Yellow Grass.
A bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth that was toppled and damaged by protesters two years ago was put back in its place Friday on the grounds of the Manitoba legislature after a lengthy set of repairs.
A dozen sheriffs and Calgary Police officers roamed Calgary's core for three months, but the provincial pilot program is officially over as of this week.
A Calgary father and son face a lengthy list of criminal charges after being arrested in connection with the sexual exploitation, assault and extortion of multiple teen girls.
Three Toronto men have been charged with attempted murder after they allegedly shot an innocent dog walker in Schomberg, Ont. in a case of mistaken identity.
Gatineau police arrested an 18-year-old man in connection to the investigation into a hidden camera discovered in the washroom at an elementary school.
Teachers' groups held a protest outside the National Assembly this morning to voice their opposition against the Quebec government's new education bill.
A wildfire burning out of control on northern Vancouver Island is now estimated to cover 208 hectares, or just over two square kilometres, provincial wildfire officials said Friday.
A 38-year-old sergeant in the Canadian Army was fined $3,000 and issued a severe reprimand after he made what a military judge described as 'utterly disgusting' anti-Jewish comments while conducting an infantry training course in 2021.
A popular beach in Bracebridge is open to the public two days after sewing needles were found in the water, but a second beach has since closed over safety concerns.
Around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, officers responded to two separate calls where citizens believed they heard gunshots in the 100 block of Albert Street near Talbot Street.
The largest fundraising event for My Sisters’ Place in downtown London, Ont. is coming up next weekend, putting women, children, and men through the paces.
