The 97th Academy Awards delivered Hollywood glamour and discussion-worthy fashion moments as expected, but upon further inspection, some red carpet looks were more significant than first meets the eye—and came with a connection to Canada. Vancouver-based Ojibwe stylist Amanda May Daly teamed up with local bespoke atelier The Sartorial Shop to dress first-time attendees Julian Brave NoiseCat, Ed Archie Noisecat and Willie Sellars, chief of Williams Lake First Nation. The trio walked the red carpet representing their Oscar-nominated documentary Sugarcane, a film that investigates the troubling history of residential schools in Canada and the efforts being made to seek justice and healing. Through their styling efforts, Indigenous representation took centre stage in a way that was both deeply personal and exquisitely styled.

“The looks for the Academy Awards were designed around each person’s distinct vision for themselves,” Daly told ELLE Canada over email. “Julian Brave NoiseCat, Ed Archie NoiseCat and Chief Willie Sellars all had strong ideas about how they wanted to look and feel.”

Julian Brave NoiseCat, the filmmaker, writer and advocate, walked the carpet in an ensemble that seamlessly wove together tradition and modern tailoring. At the heart of his look was a moosehide vest—an heirloom made by his great-aunt, Granny Lizzie, and gifted to him by Charlene Belleau, who appears in the film. “This piece is incredibly significant and priceless, on the level of vintage haute couture in terms of craftsmanship and cultural/historical significance and it is also a powerful expression of familial love and resistance,” explained Daly. “Julian knew exactly what he wanted to wear with it; he chose expertly tailored Western tuxedo pants and a striking black Western tuxedo shirt, with guidance from Zahir Rajani at The Sartorial Shop.”

NoiseCat also sported a neck piece by close family friend, Sugpiaq jeweler Denise Wallace, as well as custom earrings and cufflinks based on NoiseCat’s great grandmother’s cedar basket weaving pattern interpreted into beadwork by Joan Scarff.

Daly finds it difficult to express what it means to her to see this look represented on a stage like the Oscars. “When I stop and think about what Julian and Emily [Kassie, the film’s co-director] have achieved with Sugarcane, and the fact that I am blessed to be a small part of this moment, it’s actually super overwhelming,” she said. The stylist also outfitted NoiseCat’s father, artist Ed Archie NoiseCat, who appeared in the documentary and walked the red carpet in an Old Hollywood-inspired tuxedo with a distinctive twist—mother of pearl buttons and a laser-cut salmon motif cummerbund, designed by Indigenous fashion matriarch Himikalas Pamela Baker, to pay homage to NoiseCat’s artistic silverwork legacy.

Chief Sellars, of Williams Lake First Nation, completed the trio dressed by Daly and Rajani. “[He] had his own exciting take on red carpet dressing,” said Daly. “He wanted a beautiful sage green suit to represent traditional medicine. I actually walked into his fitting at The Sartorial Shop as he was looking through a fabric swatch book and he was exclaiming ‘that’s the colour,’ so that felt really wonderful to step into that moment.”

Ed Archie NoiseCat, Charlene Belleau, Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie, Willie Sellars and Kellen Quinn at the Oscars. Photography by Getty

Daly decided to introduce the team to Rajani because she felt moved by the family history of The Sartorial Shop and felt that there was an alignment of personal and brand values. Rajani worked with Chief Sellars on designing a beautiful classic, double peaked jacket and pants with a custom gorgeous pique dress shirt. The pattern of the pique shirt and the beautiful geometric buttons were chosen to compliment the custom quillwork pieces that Chief Sellars had commissioned from Joe Big Mountain of Ironhorse Quillwork.

“One of the most rewarding parts of my job is seeing my clients light up when we land on just the right thing,” Daly added. “I am so honoured to have had the opportunity to work with each of them to incorporate the deeply meaningful cultural pieces they each brought forward into bespoke red carpet looks that pay homage to the beauty of culture, family and community.”

It is Daly’s hope that young Indigenous people see themselves represented on the red carpet. “There’s this concept in fashion called perceived value, which is when something is assigned great value because of what it represents, like a super rare Hermès Birkin bag, for example,” she said. “From a professional perspective NosieCat’s moosehide vest is like a $450,000 Birkin to me—I don’t even think I’ve touched it. That’s how sacred it is.”

Daly wants Indigenous people all over Turtle Island to look at their family treasures and heirlooms and see them in that same light—with reverence. “As Indigenous people, our ways of knowing, being and creating are of immeasurable value. These pieces we have been working with are the result of thousands of years of living Indigenous cultural history and love that have survived the assimilation and genocide that this film deals with. My wish is that what we’ve done today inspires some dreamer somewhere to practice accepting an award in the mirror in something lovingly made by a family member or friend.”