Sage Paul is an urban Denesuliné tskwe based in Toronto and a member of English River First Nation. Sage is an award-winning artist & designer and a recognized leader of Indigenous fashion, craft and textiles. Her work centres family, sovereignty and resistance for balance. Sage is also founding collective member and Artistic Director of Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto.
Her art and design practice is conceptual, creating narrative-driven garments, crafts and costumes for artistic presentation, fashion, film, TV and theatre. Sage Paul is a sought after and artistically diverse designer; She is creatively curious and informed, with excellent and resourceful craftsmanship. Sage has a strong, broad understanding for how she and her audiences interact with and feel fashion.
Some of Sage’s art and design has shown at the Art Gallery of Ontario’s First Thursday, Harbourfront Centre, The Centre for Craft, Creativity and Design (North Carolina, USA), and a curated program at Western Canada Fashion Week by Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective. She has designed costumes for Kent Monkman, Darlene Naponse, Danis Goulet and more. Sage speaks about Indigenous fashion including engagements at Canada House (London, UK), The Walrus Magazine, Ryerson University, Toronto Women’s Fashion Week and South Africa Fashion Week. Most recently, Sage presented her collection “Giving Life" at Festival de Mode & Design (Montreal) and Ohtaapiahki Fashion Week (Calgary).
Sage received the Design Exchange RBC Emerging Designer Award (2017) and was recognized as a Woman of Influence (2018), a Change Maker by the Toronto Star (2018), top 100 talented & driven Canadian women by Flare Magazine (2017), a Toronto “cool girl" by Vogue (2018), and was honoured by the Ontario Minister of the Status of Women as a trailblazing woman who is transforming Ontario (2017). In 2019, Sage was nominated for the Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award in Costume Design and the Indigenous Arts Award, both at the Ontario Arts Council.
Sage sits on the Ryerson School of Fashion Advisory Board, sits on the Board of Directors for Red Pepper Spectacle Arts and is developing an Indigenous Fashion elective course for George Brown College.
Solo Shows & Exhibitions
2018, Art Gallery of Ontario, First Thursdays, Toronto, “Slow Fashion”
2018, Festival Mode & Design, Montreal, “Giving Life”
2012, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, “Synaptic City”
2012, Gladstone Hotel, Toronto, “Synaptic City” (self-presented)
2011, Oz Studios, Toronto, “End of Summer” (self-presented)
Group Shows & Exhibitions
2018, Walrus LIVE, Toronto, “The Future”
2018, Asinabka Film & Media Arts Festival and Gallery 101, Ottawa, “Hot Culture: Indigenous Fashion, Materials & Crafts”
2017, Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective, Edmonton, “Western Canada Fashion Week”
2017, Word on The Street Toronto Book & Magazine Festival, Toronto, “Sculpting Reads”
2017, The Centre for Craft, Creativity & Design, North Carolina, “Crafted Strangers”
2016, Gallery 1313, Toronto, “Indian Giver: Truth Telling and Narratives of Representation”
2016, Craft Ontario, Toronto, “The Mending Lounge”
2014, Woodland Cultural Centre, Brantford, ON, “FashioNative”
2013, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, “Indigenous NOW”
2009, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, “(Re)Representation”
Commissions
2017, LabSpace Studio, Toronto, Sculpting New Reads, “7 Fallen Feathers”
2016, Setsuné Indigenous Fashion Incubator, Toronto, Indian Giver, “Redress (Re-Dress)”
Costume Design
2019, Video Cabaret, Costume Designer, Too Good Too Be True written and directed by Cliff Cardinal (In Production)
2019, Waawaate Fobister, Costume Designer, Omaagaaman directed by Troy Emergy Twig (In Production)
2018, Darlene Naponse, Costume Designer, Feature Film, “Falls Around Her”
2018, Tarragon Theatre, Costume Designer, Cottagers and Indians directed by Patti Shaughnassy
2017, Theatre Kingston, Head of Wardrobe, Almighty Voice and His Wife directed by Lib Spry
2017, Storefront Theatre, Costume Designer, Divine directed by Claire Burns
2017, Wild Woman Theatre, Costume Designer, Spawn directed by Gein Wong
2017, Young Peoples Theatre, Costume Designer, Munschtime! directed by Herbie Barnes
2013, Danis Goulet, Costume Designer, “Wakening” (Weesageechak character)
2008, imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, “Indian Jane”
2006, Kent Monkman, Costume Designer, “Robin’s Hood” (Miss Eagle Testickle character)
2006, imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, “Revenge of Pocahontas”
2005, imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, “Star Trek Campaign”
2005, Danis Goulet, Costume Designer, “Divided by Zero”
Education & Residencies
2018 Urban Moose Hide Tanning Residency, Banff Centre for the Arts
2006 Fashion Design and Techniques Diploma, George Brown College
Select Speaking Engagements, Panels and Workshops
2018, Harbourfront Centre, Presenter, “Collaboration 2.0"
2018, 6 Degrees, Panellist, “Prophets of Dystopia: Atwood, Art, and Inspired Activism Host: Johanna Schneller, with Ane Crabtree, Sage Paul and Devyani Saltzman
2018, Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto, Panelist, “Value’s Driven Entrepreneurship”
2018, George Brown College, Speaker, “GRASP Conference"
2017, South Africa Fashion Week, Speaker, “Canadian Indigenous Fashion”
2017, Toronto Women’s Fashion Week, Speaker “Let Us Show You: What Indigenous Designers Need”
2017, Nouveau Reach by Brock University, Panelist, “Indigenous Luxury”
2017, OCAD-U, Workshop Facilitator, “Roach-Making Workshop”
2017, Ryerson University, The School of Fashion, Panelist, “Fashioning Reconciliation”
2016, Evergreen Brickworks/Setsuné Indigenous Fashion Incubator, Facilitator “Growing Greener Enterprise”
2016, Aboriginal Curatorial Collective, Speaker, “This Land Ontario”
2016, Ryerson University, The School of Fashion, Panelist, “Aware – We Are?”
2016, English River First Nation, Youth Conference, Speaker & Workshop Facilitator, “Artists’ Instinct”
2016, The Walrus Magazine, Walrus Talk Series, Speaker, “What is Art, Anyway”
2014, Setsuné Indigenous Fashion Incubator, Workshop Facilitator “Pattern Drafting 101”
Administration and Management
2018 – Present, George Brown College, Indigenous Fashion course design & delivery
2018 – Present, Artscape Daniels Launchpad, Indigenous fashion entrepreneur workshop design & delivery
2018 – Present, Ryerson University, School of Fashion, Advisory Board
2016 – Present, Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto, Artistic Director and Founding Collective Member
2012 – Present, Ontario Arts Council, Jury Member as requested (Craft, Visual Arts, Touring, Compass)
2015 – 2017, IKEA Canada, Director & Project Manager, Ts’kwe Makers Atelier by Setsuné
2014 – 2017, Setsuné Indigenous Fashion Incubator, Co-Artistic Director and Co-Founder
2013 – 2017, Native Women in the Arts, Secretary, Board of Directors
2004 – 2013, imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, Events/Communications (coordinator & director)
Awards, Acknowledgements & Media
2019, Ontario Arts Council, Indigenous Arts Award Nominee
2019, Ontario Arts Council, Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award Nominee in Costume Design
2018, The Globe and Mail, Nov. 24 Pursuits Cover, “Five emerging Canadian philanthropists wear brilliant holiday fashion"
2018, The Toronto Star, Changemakers: 12 Canadians Who Are Making Our Lives Better
2018, FASHION Magazine, November Issue, “Voices of the Revolution" by Sarah Jay
2018, Women of Influence, Top 25 Women of Influence
2017, Design Exchange, Emerging Designer Award (fashion category)
2017, Flare Magazine, Top 100+ talented and driven Canadian women
2017, Ontario Arts Council, Aboriginal Arts Projects – Development, “The Mint Sweater Project”
2016, Toronto Arts Council, Indigenous Arts Projects – Development, “The Mint Sweater Project”
2016, The FADER, “This is What Happens When Indigenous Artists Do Their Own appropriating.” by Anupa Mistry.
2016, Toronto Star, “’Indian Giver’ confronting cultural appropriation through artwork” by Lauren Pelley
2016, Toronto Arts Council, Indigenous Arts Projects, “Indian Giver: Truth Telling & Narratives of Representation”
2015, CBC Metro Morning, “Appropriation”, with Matt Galloway
2014 & 2015, Ontario Arts Council, Aboriginal Arts Projects, “Setsuné R&D Workshop Series”
2014, Canada Council for the Arts, Indigenous Artists in Communities, “Collective Creation Project”
2012, Ontario Arts Council, Aboriginal Arts Projects, “Synaptic City”