“Fashion is my super power, and it makes me super human.”
These powerful words are from Charley Wabano, the multi-talented phenom from Eabametoong First Nation in Fort Hope, Ontario. This remote Indigenous community is 400 kilometers north of Thunder Bay and is only accessible by air.
How does someone from a marginalized place with few resources to support a devotion to fashion, develop such a singular knowing of their purpose in life? It started from an early age when Charley was put into foster care where he found support and acceptance.
“I was always encouraged to explore and express my imagination by my foster parents. Growing up I enjoyed wrapping myself in bed sheets pretending they were extravagant ball gowns, imagining that I was princess Pocahontas at my royal wedding. I always displayed artistic inclinations and possessed a vivid imagination”
From these childhood fantasies, Fashion continued to be a life-long passion for Charley. “I really enjoyed playing dress up and I would put together an outfit and pretend I was at a fashion show. I was always both the designer and the model and owned my own boutique.”
Today, Charley Wabano is self-described as an Androgynous Two Spirited Visual Artist. Charley expresses their creative talents through fashion illustrations, by designing and making those designs and by modelling them.
“I believe Fashion gave me the power of transformation. I never felt like I could fit in, but clothing was always the only way I could really be relatable.”
Currently a collection of designs is being created for the ‘House of Charley’ website, where the public can learn more about this talented artist and purchase the designs.