Red is a powerful colour that can turn heads and speak of passion, financial status, and protest. The colour red can also stand for the lives of Indigenous women who have gone missing or were murdered. This season, incorporating a red dress into one’s wardrobe can be stylish and symbolic because of the vibrancy of the colour and what it stands for in the community.
Jaime Black, a Métis artist based in Winnipeg, created what is now known as the REDress Project in 2010. This project consists of red dresses that are displayed as an art exhibition to symbolize and represent the Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people who have been murdered or have gone missing in Canada. The incorporation of red dresses as art pieces also align with popular fashion, as red pieces are beginning to resurface on mannequins this season.
By hanging red dresses on trees or displaying them in galleries, the REDress Project speaks volumes about the injustices occurring in Canada against Indigenous women. Therefore, wearing a red dress can help to spread that reminder around campus, in the workplace, and on the street.
Currently, dresses that are being displayed in stores are coming in lighter and brighter shades of red to prepare for the warmer temperatures of spring and summer. Choosing to wear a bright red dress this season is a bold fashion statement to experiment with; however, one can also wear a red dress to help show support towards Indigenous communities.
Red dresses come in many different shades and styles, but they all possess the attributes of drawing attention to the wearer and making a statement in a crowd. A long, off-the-shoulder chiffon red dress looks good with heels and a clutch for an evening out. For a more casual event, pairing a playful mid-length coral red dress with sandals is ideal for a day at the beach.
While red dresses spring up all year round, we should recognize that they symbolize something greater and more profound than just another fashion statement. No matter what shade or style one wears, the message is clear that having a red dress in your wardrobe is a way people can silently yet boldly stand up against injustices being done to Indigenous women.
This season, try wearing a red dress, and be emboldened to act proactively and fashionably this spring while remembering what a red dress represents for you and the community at large.
Rachel is working towards a BA with a concentration in English and Theatre. She has been employed at The Cascade since Fall 2021 as a Staff Writer and a Jr. News Editor. Currently, she is the sectional News Editor and enjoys meeting and interviewing people as well as taking long walks in nature. Rachel also likes to stay up to date on the latest trends and informs students through her fashion column entitled Campus Fashion.
