Indigenous fashion camp blends fashion with mental health

Bernadine Sapp is sewing resilience and well-being into every stitch of her designs.

From Little Pine First Nation, Sapp is the creator and mental health worker behind Brave Girl Quilts – a Saskatoon-based sewing studio and community organization focusing on quilts, regalia-making, ribbon skirts, traditional designs, sustainable fashion, and how it all ties in to becoming a healthier, stronger individual.

“When I sew, I put on meditations and affirmations, and I see how it effects my mental health. I became a softer and kinder person,” said Sapp.

“So I put the two together. Brave Girl Quilts is the mental health part with the sewing part.”

Sapp has worked as a mental heath worker for over two decades, but only recently started to expand her sewing and designs into an actual studio. While making jingle dresses for her daughters, she felt a deep connection to history, tradition, and wellness.

“Our mental health must have been incredible back in the day because we had to make everything by hand. That process, coming together to create something, all of those mental health skills must’ve been so beneficial,” she said.

“I’m trying to revive that in quilt making.”

Three years ago, Sapp opened Brave Girl Quilts studio – not to sell her goods or profit from a studio, but to share the mental health benefits of sewing and creating.

In her studio, Sapp will share practical knowledge on sewing and design, but also supplement it with spiritual and philosophical teaching, such as colour theory. Sapp explains that when creating regalia, it starts with colour and how that colour connects with self and land.

“Brown, for example, represents earth. Animals live in the earth, in its den – it might represent safety, home, being comforted,” she said.

“In your own life, if you don’t feel that, then wear the colour brown. Use colours with intention. Make it your personal story.”

Linking fashion, colour, and tradition to one’s personal story is why Sapp created the Indigenous Teen Fashion Design Camp. Taking place this past July over three-weeks, Sapp took a group of young designers through a crash course in fashion, culminating in a fashion show at the end of the camp.

During the three weeks, Sapp had the young designers each thrift or up-cycle five pieces – a shirt, skirt, pants, jacket, and dress. They then had to Indiginize it with their own, starting with a colour that speaks to them. They also learned to sew ribbon skirts.

“It was intense – they learned to sew, they learned colour theory, they learned to design. They all rose to the challenge and did so well,” said Sapp.

The fashion show, crowing the three-week crash course, required the designers to not only present their designs, but consider how their designs are best styled with the models, hair and makeup, music, lighting, and photography.

Sapp said there were some standout students from the camp: Lyric had a gift for taking multiple pieces and combining them to one; Ella was able to up-cycle pieces in a clever, budget-friendly way; and Serenity found a talent for sewing and creating new pieces from her vision.

“For me, it’s all about the mental health components of it – when you’re visualizing, you’re putting good thoughts and creativity into what you’re doing,” she said.

“I want to be able to see the positive work people put into themselves. Be proud of your ribbon skirts, wear your Indigenous identity on you.”

Sapp said that while the three-week camp was extremely demanding, she plans to do it again next summer. She said the positive impacts for these young designers are limitless.

“We were such a force when we used to make all our own things. If we can do that again, we could be a powerful as we used to be,” she said.

“There’s such a surge of creativity happening and I’m happy to be a part of it.”