Award will help fashion designer expand his reach

April 4, 2016.

Derek Jagodzinsky has been exploring his First Nation’s culture through his design of women’s clothes. And now, as recipient of the province’s first ever Indigenous Graduate Award, he will be taking that discovery to a new level in the hopes of designing furniture, housewares, and personal accessories or, as he puts it, “making beautiful products.”

Last week, Jagodzinsky coupled winning the newly-established Government of Alberta’s $15,000 scholarship with showing his latest LUXX ready-to-wear line at the 2016 Western Canada Week, in Edmonton. And, of course, he still had to attend classes at the University of Alberta!

Jagodzinsky returned to UAlberta last September to pursue his master degree in industrial design in the Faculty of Arts. He graduated from UAlberta in 2010 with a bachelor of design in graphic design and photography. He says the new award will allow him to focus on his studies and not have to worry about where the money will come from to pay his bills.

Jagodzinsky’s first degree included fashion courses in human ecology and fashion design courses in the drama department. Upon graduation, he spent a month in New York interning under Michael Kaye Couture. Kaye, an award-winning fashion designer, is from Edmonton.

Even now, that New York connection remains as Jagodzinsky’s work is included in a touring exhibit entitled “Native Fashion Now,” which ends in the Smithsonian Museum. Jagodzinsky’s piece includes Cree syllabics, which translated says, “We will succeed.”

“I’m promoting my culture in a new modern way,” said Jagodzinsky.

Since 2010, Jagodzinsky has been designing his own brand of clothing. Luxx, he says, is a play on the word luxury and his desire is to create “high end ready-to-wear with modern Native design, like that mix of tradition and technology.”

Jagodzinsky says he is aiming for a “lifestyle brand,” similar to Giorgio Armani, who designs clothes, home fashions, and interiors for hotels and resorts.

“I want to take Native culture and interpret it in a modern way, make it more readily available,” said Jagodzinsky. “A lot of Native fashion designers have a basic pattern. They just pop an image on it….I like to meld the design with the artwork, really showcase it…. I like showing off the work, but still having a beautiful piece. I’m really about that.”

Jagodzinsky is Cree from the Whitefish Lake First Nation. While he was born in Edmonton and has lived in the city for years, he spent his middle school years on the northern First Nation.

‘I’m trying to figure out a lot about my culture and I’m using my fashion as a tool for that,” he said. “In society, our culture has always been put to the wayside and I just want to show the beauty of our culture in different aspects. I feel like I’m supposed to do that.”

Jagodzinsky says he is inspired both by tradition and by modernity.

He plans to continue his work in Edmonton, as well as continuing to buy and produce locally. His ready-to-wear collection is primarily available through his studio in Edmonton, where many of his clients visit him to get their pieces custom-fitted. His designs can be viewed on his website at luxxreadytowear.com.

“As I grow into a larger business I want to bring on more traditional artisans as full time employees, create opportunities for them to use their passion and talents to create beautiful, modern products. I aim to develop these opportunities both on and off reserves - connecting us as a community with the rest of the world,” wrote Jagodzinsky in his application for the provincial scholarship.

The Indigenous Graduate Award is intended to encourage Indigenous Albertans, who are pursuing or who wish to pursue graduate studies in Alberta. The award selection process is based on academic achievement, potential and the candidate’s involvement in the Aboriginal community.