Okema Clothing and 22Fresh are collaborating on an orange shirt campaign to raise awareness about the residential school system. (supplied photo/store.22fresh.com)

By Elliott Knopp

Truth Reconciliation Campaign

Okema Clothing, 22Fresh collaborate for Truth and Reconciliation Day

Sep 20, 2021 | 3:24 PM

A local Meadow Lake clothing company is pairing up with a notable brand in the apparel industry to bring awareness to a significant issue affecting Indigenous people.

Meadow Lake’s Okema Clothing has formed a partnership with 22Fresh Apparel to create a line of T-shirts designed to raise awareness around the impact residential schools have had on Indigenous people and communities.

All of the proceeds from the shirt sales will be donated to local organizations that offer support and relief to Indigenous veterans and survivors of residential schools.

Snipe and Celly Sports Excellence Manager Clay DeBray was a key factor in this collaboration as he was approached by 22Fresh with the idea to launch the campaign.

DeBray thought it would be a great opportunity to continue education around the subject and provide the community with another opportunity to heal, so he included Okema Clothing in the design process, leading to further development of the campaign.

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“It’s amazing that 22Fresh stepped up and wanted to do a partnership with us because that’s what we need in today’s society,” he said.

“We need people stepping up to help Indigenous-owned businesses and the Indigenous community. The more help that we can get in bringing the awareness of what happened in residential schools, the better.”

This campaign launched days before Truth and Reconciliation Day on Sept. 30. The day was recently declared a national statutory holiday by the Canadian government.

However, while several provinces including Saskatchewan, Alberta, Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick have opted to not recognize it as such, Manitoba and the City of Saskatoon have adopted the day as a paid statutory holiday.

Orange shirts have become synonymous with residential school awareness campaigns recently, and will likely be donned by many people across the country when the day comes.

The collection from 22Fresh and Okema Clothing displays an Indigenous family of three people standing in front of several other people from different races and backgrounds. All of the people are standing inside two joined hands consisting of different skin tones.

DeBray stated the imagery symbolizes people coming together as one unified community.

“We need the whole society to embrace it to make sure the truth comes out and that there’s reconciliation in this process,” DeBray said.

Money from the purchase of the shirts will be directed to the Saskatchewan Survivors Circle and the Saskatchewan First Nations Veterans Association.

Haley Reoch, general manager at 22Fresh, stated offering support to these organizations at a time where the impact of residential schools is being discussed more frequently provides an opportunity to get momentum rolling for more significant progression in the future.

“It’s great that these conversations are happening, and that we’re bringing more awareness to the topic,” she said.

“Hopefully, this is the start of something bigger and more non-indigenous businesses and Indigenous businesses can work together, support each other, teach each other and learn more together.”

The shirts are in high demand, but people can join a wait list to purchase one at the 22Fresh website.

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elliott.knopp@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp