Wabano

Biography

Scott Wabano (they/he/she) is a 2spirit Eeyou Cree from Mushkegowuk & Waskaganish. Following being bullied at a young age, Scott discovered fashion and pop culture magazines which served as a form of escape for him. Fashion has always been a part of Scotts life. After flipping through magazines and seeing red carpet photos, Scott wondered why there was no Indigenous representation in the media¹. This led him to move to Toronto in 2017, in hopes to create change for Indigenous representation. Leaving his nation was not going to be a smooth ride without there being some bumps in the road. After some mishaps and terrible partnerships, he moved back to his community for a few years². In 2019, he decided to go back and pursue his degrees.

Business Story

Finally completing his post-secondary education in Fashion Arts and Business, Scott was gifted the opportunity to work with major fashion labels like Vitaly Design, Manitobah Mukluks, and Lesley Hampton³. Through these opportunities, Scott’s network had expanded. He was then able to create his own clothing brand “Wabano” – a genderless streetwear brand. The purpose of the brand is to educate the public on Indigenous 2SLGBT+ identities worldwide and fashion sustainability ⁴. His first launch sold out in one day. The brand has pieces like shirts and sweaters, and accessories: purses, hats, gloves. Each piece is a statement piece with quotes like “My Existence is the Resistance” or “**** your colonial gender binaries”⁵. One of the biggest statement pieces that was designed was “The Hampton X Wabano Jacket”. This vision statement for this jacket is “to decolonize fashion on Turtle Island through storytelling, education, and awareness”⁶. In February 2023, Scott had his first runway show and showcased his collection at New York Fashion Week (NYFW).