Awaken the Fire

This past winter, I had the chance to connect with Deana Gill in the days leading up to Indigenous Fashion Week. She was candid with me about the challenges they were navigating in real time — the barriers, the scramble, the sheer will it was taking to get the collection across the finish line. And then the night arrived, and the Supernaturals Models stepped onto the runway, and you would never have known. What I witnessed was art moving into the world with grace and power and purpose. I have been sitting with that contrast ever since.

The label behind that runway is Thii Hayqwtun House of Design — a Coast Salish fashion and wearable art label born from the artistic vision of Maynard Thii Hayqwtun Johnny Jr. and brought to life in partnership with Deana Gill and Ed Georgica.

Maynard describes his relationship with fashion as something that has always been part of him. Growing up, he might wear ripped jeans one day and a blazer the next. Fashion, to him, is art in itself — a way of expressing who you are through what you wear. Thii Hayqwtun is the next level of that expression: his artwork and his love of fashion, combined. He also saw a gap — in men's fashion specifically — and decided he was the one to fill it, with his art and his own interpretation of what stylish men's fashion could look like. In his words: "To see Thii Hayqwtun come to life is a dream come true."

And the dream didn't arrive alone. What I love most about this story is where it started: not with a business idea, but with a relationship that had already been tested and trusted through years of walking together in the Hope and Health mission. Maynard speaks of Deana and Ed with real gratitude — grateful for their dedication, for staying the course through the ups and downs of building something new together.

Deana describes the partnership as a natural evolution of that trust. She and Ed didn't arrive as patrons or investors. They came as collaborators, offering their skills and capacity to help realize Maynard's dream. She calls it reconcili-action — business partners walking as one heart, one mind, learning and building capacity together as they go. It requires two-eyed seeing from both parties, and open, honest communication. I think that is a beautiful and honest description of what this kind of partnership actually asks of people.

Youth are woven into the fabric of this work, intentionally. Hope and Health community coaches have the opportunity to model, to host the mobile marketplace, and to be mentored by Maynard as an artist. Partial proceeds flow back to Hope and Health, with the goal of building long-term sustainability through social enterprise. Art, leadership, and community — held together in the same thread.

None of this has been easy. Moving from vision to sample to production, navigating the realities of financing as an Indigenous majority-owned startup, working within an economy that has not always made room for this kind of creativity and courage — the path has been genuinely hard. That perseverance is part of the teaching too.

This Friday, June 5th, you have the chance to experience this work in person. Thii Hayqwtun House of Design presents Awaken the Fire at Blue Grouse Estate Winery in Duncan, 2182 Lakeside Road, at 6pm. The evening includes the premiere community presentation of the Awaken the Fire collection on the runway, featuring Supernaturals Modelling and Hope and Health youth coaches. A traditional opening by Cowichan Tribes Tzinquaw Dancers. Food by Hungry Bubbas Food Truck. And our friend Tchadas Leo from CHEK News will be emceeing the evening.

Tickets are limited, must be purchased in advance, and are not available at the door. Every ticket directly supports Indigenous children and youth through Hope and Health programming, and includes a charitable tax receipt. Grab yours here: https://www.hopeandhealth.org/our-shop/p/awaken-the-fire-at-blue-grouse

And if you've been looking for a reason to bring someone along, this is it — use promo code BOGO at checkout to bring a loved one or a friend at a discounted rate.

I also have four tickets to give away — two sets of two. If you'd like to enter the draw, simply reply to this email with one word that comes to mind when you hear the phrase reconcili-action. I'll draw two winners by end of day Wednesday, June 3rd.

Come gather. Come celebrate. I hope to see you there.

🧡 Kim + the CC Team