Oro shares culture and beauty during FJFW

An indigenous Canadian fashion designer is aiming to inspire the youths in Fiji and Canada and also showcase her culture and their beauty.

Helen Oro was one of the 24 designers that showcased her line at the Fiji Fashion Week last weekend.

She says if the youth decide to get into fashion and design, they do not have to be just local but they can also share it to the world.

Oro is from the first group of indigenous first nation people of Pelican lake Band from Saskatchewan in the middle of Canada, and her label is called Helen Oro Designs.

She says one of her designs which is beading is a form of prayer, healing and story telling and her collection is a love letter to her sister that has passed.

Oro says many of her pieces are influenced from men’s and women's regalia and sharing the beauty of her culture.

The designer further says she started beading to really teach herself patience and it was more of a learning thing and she also wanted beautiful jewelry but being a young mother she was not able to afford things for herself because most of her things went to her children.

Helen says she quickly learned how to make her own and started thinking outside the box and pushing herself.

She later got invited to a small local show to showcase her collection of bead-work with another designer and sparked a light in her that she can go into fashion show and share her work.

She says ribbon skirts are normally worn for ceremonies, however now you will see more young girls and women are wearing it for work, for school and for everything.

Oro says she was excited to showcase her collection which is based around her traditional indigenous art and incorporating a modern and contemporary flare.