About IIFC

The Indigenous International Fashion Council (IIFC) is a global charitable and educational organization advancing Indigenous leadership, representation, and equity across fashion, design, and the arts. We exist to ensure Indigenous peoples are not treated as a trend or an afterthought—but are recognized, respected, and centered as innovators, rights-holders, and cultural authorities shaping the future of fashion.

As a nonprofit, IIFC brings together Indigenous designers, makers, models, stylists, artists, educators, media professionals, cultural knowledge-holders, and industry partners to strengthen cultural integrity, build opportunity, and support ethical collaboration across the global fashion ecosystem.

We’re Building This Together

IIFC is being built through collective leadership—by communities, creators, and collaborators across regions and generations. This is not a top-down institution. It is a shared framework designed to protect culture, elevate Indigenous excellence, and create real pathways for participation and sustainability.

One voice tells a story. Many voices create a movement.

Why We Exist

A powerful Indigenous fashion movement is already underway—rooted in community, culture, resilience, and innovation. Yet Indigenous voices have too often been excluded from decision-making in the spaces that define taste, trends, and markets: runways, editorials, awards, museums, brand campaigns, film, digital media, and global supply chains.

IIFC was created because this moment has been a long time coming—and because the movement needs structure, standards, protection, and resources. We are formalizing a global framework so Indigenous creatives can lead with sovereignty, safety, and sustainability, while institutions and industry partners have clear pathways to engage responsibly.

Our Mission

Our mission is to:

• Advance authentic Indigenous representation in fashion, design, media, and cultural institutions

• Protect cultural integrity and promote ethical practice, attribution, and accountability

• Strengthen education and career pathways through training, mentorship, and public learning

• Build international cooperation among Indigenous communities and aligned partners across the fashion ecosystem

What We Do

IIFC supports the field through programs and initiatives that move from intention to accountable practice, including:

• Regional Chapters and Sector Committees that organize locally grounded work while connecting to global collaboration

• Education and professional development through workshops, webinars, panels, mentorship, and toolkits

• Publications and media resources that elevate accurate narratives and discourage extraction, tokenism, and misrepresentation

• Standards and recognition pathways that encourage transparent, culturally responsible practice in fashion and media

• Convenings and showcases that center Indigenous designers and build public awareness around Indigenous excellence, ethics, and sustainability

Scholarship and Pathways

IIFC is developing an Indigenous Fashion, Design, and Arts Scholarship to support emerging and advancing Indigenous talent—helping reduce barriers to training, education, materials, travel, and professional opportunities. The scholarship is designed to strengthen long-term pathways so Indigenous creatives can build sustainable careers and continue transmitting culture through design.

Grants for Chapters and Sectors

IIFC issues grants (not loans) to support mission-aligned projects led by our Chapters and Sector Committees. These grants are intended to resource community-grounded work—such as education, cultural protection initiatives, workforce development, showcases, research, and other programs that expand Indigenous leadership and ethical participation in fashion and related industries.

Who can apply:

• Recognized IIFC Chapters

• IIFC Sector Committees (and their working groups)

• Cross-chapter/sector collaborations that advance shared outcomes

Outcomes That Matter

Representation is not symbolic—it is structural. IIFC focuses on outcomes that change who is seen, who is paid, who is protected, and who makes the decisions.

We work toward outcomes such as:

• Increased Indigenous representation in runway, editorial, film, digital media, museums, education, and leadership roles

• Improved standards for cultural integrity, including attribution, consent, and safeguards against appropriation

• More equitable access to markets and resources for Indigenous designers and makers

• Stronger pipelines for Indigenous talent through education, mentorship, scholarships, and professional networks

• Accountable allyship that supports Indigenous leadership rather than replacing it

Our Global Network

IIFC is built through relationships—Indigenous-led, community-centered, and globally connected. We have Chapters and collaborators across Turtle Island and beyond, including the United Kingdom, Bali, New Zealand, and Peru, with support from allies in Sweden and Scandinavia and many others who share our commitment to respectful partnership.

We believe in authentic representation and Indigenous leadership as the foundation—while also recognizing that meaningful progress requires responsible allyship: partners who listen, learn, invest, and follow Indigenous guidance.

Our Commitment

IIFC is committed to a future where Indigenous fashion is recognized as a living, evolving force—grounded in culture, strengthened by innovation, and protected by ethical practice. We are here to build the structure the movement deserves: a global framework where Indigenous voices are not merely included, but central in shaping a more equitable and sustainable fashion industry worldwide.

Founded by Osage Fashion Designer & Artist Dante Biss-Grayson