Our Sewcase team recently returned from an inspiring visit to the community of Kitigan Zibi Anishinàbeg in Quebec. For three incredible days, we worked with high-school students and their dedicated teacher, Kelly, to design and sew personalized hoodies using upcycled fabrics.

Sewcase lab visits like this are essential to creating lasting outcomes for both the students and our program — they create hands-on learning opportunities, spark creativity, and help youth discover new pathways in design, entrepreneurship, and craftsmanship.

This visit was made possible by the generous support of the Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville, Janome Canada and PVH. Their partnership helps us bring meaningful programming directly to the students, and strengthens our ability to empower the next generation of Indigenous creators. We are deeply grateful for their ongoing commitment.

A special guest kick-off

We were thrilled to welcome young designer Wyatt Miller of Sparked Apparel, who joined us over Zoom to kick off the week. Wyatt shared his journey into sewing, how Sparked Apparel began, and the lessons he’s learned as a rising entrepreneur in the fashion industry. His energy, honesty, and encouragement resonated deeply with the students – many of whom are beginning to explore their own creative ambitions.

We invite you to visit Sparked Apparel and check out Wyatt’s incredible designs. Supporting Indigenous and youth-led brands helps keep creativity thriving!

Creating hoodies - building confidence

The focus of the workshop was hoodies : students transformed arctic fleece, cotton ribbing, and repurposed off-cut blankets into custom hoodies that reflected their personalities and style. Furthermore, students furthered their machine learning, as they discovered new possibilities using the two new Janome FA4 sergers we recently installed in the Sewcase lab.

Kelly plans to continue offering the hoodie workshop in coming months, and we’re excited to follow student progress as they prepare for a community fashion show in 2026!