In 2005, as an effort to introduce the excitement and presence of modelling and fashion into the Indigenous community of Regina and area, Chelsa Racette (Reil), German, Irish, Chippewa, and Cree from the Nekaneet First Nation in Saskatchewan, opened the Indigenous modelling agency Glacsy Model and talent Management Canada (Glacsy) and the business 306 Fashion Week Productions Inc. (FWP). Five years later, Chelsa launched the first National Aboriginal Fashion Week on Turtle Island. Through this exciting endeavor, Mrs. Racette provided a platform for aspiring and established fashion designers, models, entertainer, hair and makeup artists, and Indigenous event planners to network and share their experiences within the fashion community. Since then, her events have expanded to an international stage, thus, the name change to International Indigenous Fashion Week Inc. (IIFW) in 2016, and most recently, has taken designers to NYC, Paris, London, Cannes, and now London and Milan. Mrs. Racette has conducted business in the fashion industry for over 18 years, and during this time she found that the presence and influence of Indigenous fashion is growing rapidly.
