About the Artist

About the Artist

Skil Da ‘Yuuwans Dorothy Grant was born into the Yahgw Janáas clan of the Kaigani Haida in Hydaburg, Alaska, in 1955. An internationally renowned fashion designer, she is celebrated for her unique design and critical role in bringing Indigenous fashion to a world stage.

Grant’s artistic journey began with ceremonial works in the early 1980s, when she began making ceremonial button robes and learned spruce root weaving from master Haida weaver Florence Davidson. In the mid-1980s, rising to a challenge by celebrated Haida artist Bill Reid, Grant set her sights on bridging the world of Haida art and regalia with that of western fashion and haute couture. Pursuing a formal fashion education at the Helen Lefeaux School of Fashion Design, she debuted her first label, Feastwear, in 1989 with a fashion show in Vancouver that featured 55 pieces, garnering great excitement. This event marked the beginning of Dorothy Grant’s multi-decade career in fashion.

Grant’s work has since graced countless international runways and prestigious art and fashion exhibitions and her fashion labels have grown to include Dorothy Grant Gold, and Red Raven by Dorothy Grant. Grant embues in her clothing the Haida philosophy of yahgwdáng/yahguudang, or respect. The driving force behind her fashion is “empowerment, pride and feeling good about oneself,” which becomes evident in anyone adorned in her clothing. Her garments are worn by many walks of life in a variety of settings, from Potlatches, to the workplace, to the Oscars. Her creations are also part of global museum and gallery collections, including the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, the National Gallery of Canada, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, with Grant’s Shark Button Robe currently showing at the MET in New York.

Throughout her career, Grant has received numerous accolades, including the Order of Canada in 2015 for her contributions to Canada’s fashion industry as an artist, designer and mentor, and an honorary doctorate from Simon Fraser University. Recently Grant has been visiting Indigenous communities to mentor young entrepreneurs and teach the art of fur-felted ceremonial hats. She continues to be celebrated for her lasting legacy in art, fashion, and business, and for her role in opening the door for future Indigenous fashion designers.

Dorothy Grant: Raven Comes Full Circle features over 40 works by Dorothy Grant, including:

Early Works: explore the beginning of Grant’s career from fine ceremonial regalia and spruce root weavings to her seminal inaugural line, Feastwear.

Mid-Career: experience exquisite appliquéd leather garments and the Dorothy Grant Gold Label; highlights include Grant’s Raven Takes the World wedding dress made in honour of her mother, Eleanor Morrison Grant Eikemo, on loan from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

Recent Innovations: Discover Grant’s latest creations reflecting her ongoing evolution and experimentation in Haida haute couture, including elegant gala gowns, breezy scarf dresses, and the reinterpretation of early designs.