The Bold Detour Apparel
Esquimalt, Vancouver Island/Coast
The Bold Detour Apparel
Esquimalt, Vancouver Island/Coast
Tansi kiywaw! My name is Kara and I own and operate an indigenous apparel line focused on language and cultural revitalization. With Métis/Cree background myself, I aim to create an apparel line that showcase Cree and Michif words with accurate pronunciations. I hope to destigmatize and legitimize indigenous ancestral languages in a simple way that happens on a daily basis I originally was going to focus exclusively on language revitalization, when I learned Indigenous is the fastest growing ethnicity in canada. Knowing there's going to be many folks reconnecting and needing help, I also decided to branch out into more culture revival and pride focused pieces. As I'm aware many Indigenous people are plus size, I'm proud to offer an inclusive size range of XS to 6XL. I'm able to provide the perfect fit for each and every person I come across. Being plus size myself, I also made a commitment that every piece is the same price, regardless of size. Larger people shouldn't be expected to pay more especially when that intersects with another way they're likely to be discriminated for. I originally opened my business under a different name, as mnay businesses do. The name I landed on, The Bold Detour Apparel, is a name that connects family and culture. I think its rather clever. My mother's last name is Laderoute, and Mt fathers last name is Lebold. So you get Kara the Bold Detour. I recently completed a business and entrepreneurship program through the University of Victoria hosted by the ICEDAR team. More and more opportunities are being created for indigenous entrepreneurs and I'm so happy to have been part of such an amazing experience.
Nominations
Read below to find out why they deserve your vote in each category.
Best Youth Entrepreneur
What motivated you to start your business and what is your vision for the future of the company?
Growing up, there was 1 Métis event held locally and it meant the world to me. They had singing and dancing, cultural food and activities for everyone. By 2004, it was forced to stop due to lack of volunteers. In 2018, they put out a call for volunteers and vendors for the new Métis Rendezvous. I immediately applied to vend and was ecstatic about providing some culture for a new generation of Indigenous children! As an adult, i decided to start learning my ancestral languages. And it was hard! I was able to get into a zoom class for Cree, but for Michif I've been learning online. There's very few pronunciations provided with the words, and growing up speaking mostly English, it's hard to understand how the words sound and how the letters fit together. When creating my brand, I wanted to make language learning easy. So I made sure to include pronunciations with each design. In the future, I'd like to attend more and larger indigenous markets. I'd like to learn enough Cree and Michif to teach it. I want to encourage other young indigenous kids to keep trying. In 3yrs I'd like to be opening a brick and mortar location in or around Victoria
Why do you deserve to win the Best Youth Entrepreneur Award?
Living as an urban native far away from my people, it can feel lonely. I know I'm feeling it, I can imagine other indigenous people are feeling the same way. I think my brand fosters connecting over culture I was recently able to obtain a business and entrepreneurship program through University of Victoria and the team at ICEDAR. Gaining the knowledge on every aspect of my business, looking deep inside myself for what I want and what business means to me. I've continued furthering my education with other classes and programs and online workshops. I've learned so many amazing new things to help grow and build up my business and I'm excited to keep that momentum going! Over the course of the last year, I've made leaps and bounds in the type of business I am. Before I used to struggle with posting consistent interesting engaging content. Now I know what my business is, who it's for, what my clients are like, what they want to see, what they care about. I'm able to target specifics. I've seen sales go up and up, I'm getting more engagement online, asserting myself as an expert in the field of indigenous fashion. Seeing other indigenous businesses become famous and winning awards and getting the recognition they deserve has inspired me. Even if I don't win, I hope I can inspire someone else. Ekosi