Designing Traditional Wearable Art, Sustainably: WolfDen Designz

My name is Staci Duchene Wolfe, I am Kanien’keha’ka Mohawk from Lake of 2 Mountains, and alongside my husband from the Muskowegan F.N., we started WolfDen Designz. We’re proud to continue a way of life that I experienced growing up, and we are proud to continue to preserve and conserve traditional methods of making with raised bead work, deer antler, smoked hide and furs for our Winter collection. Recently, our little fashion house won the Amy Willier Award for Indigenous artists at the Made In Alberta Awards. I believe it takes a village to raise an artist, and I want to thank Calgary Arts Development, Making Treaty 7 Cultural Society, Authentically Indigenous, Lunar Ring Sound & Graphics Inc., & my friends and family for your love and support. I couldn’t of done any of this without you.

Our small fashion house isn’t “fast fashion”, rather we prefer to create 2 collections per year, one for Spring/Summer and one for Fall/Winter. That way we can create collections that share the meaning behind the pieces and their place in the ecosystems they come from.

We curate heirloom pieces that can be handed down through the generation, and we hope to be a part of that tradition in your family.

Staci & Jay

The entire Fall/Winter Collection will be at the Made in Alberta Awards Market at Bow Valley Square in November. I will be posting pictures of the collection on here as well for the shoppers who don’t live in Alberta. The Winter Collection will be a smoked hide pair of gauntlets with Alberta Roses in raised beadwork and blue fox fur, a smoked hide pair of gloves with Alberta Roses inraised beadwork and blue fox fur. There will be 6 pairs of smoked hide earrings with blue fox fur, and 24 pairs of painted deer antler earrings. This collection was a homage to my greatest inspiration, my Kookum Cecilia Antoine.

Our Story

When my partner and I started WolfDen Designz 5 years ago, we wanted to continue a way of life that our ancestors have been doing for over 10,000 years. I learned how to tan hides, work with furs, bead and sew from my Kookum. In her hands, a hide would become buttery soft and ready to be turned into “wearable art” for our family to wear in the winters of Ontario. No part of the animal that we harvested went to waste, and there was a use for every part of the animal. We continue that same tradition today.

I am extremely humbled to be able to continue this way of life and to provide our customers with traditional Indigenous art that anyone can wear…yes anyone, even if you are not Indigenous. When you buy from an Indigenous artisan, you are helping them provide a sustainable income for their families, and it’s good allyship. Ty and hope to see you soon.