Lindsay King, who hails from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, is making a splash in the fashion industry with her unique designs.
A recent appearance on Breakfast Television has thrust the talented designer into the spotlight even more, highlighting a trend in the fashion industry that is seeing a lot more Indigenous talent in recent years.
King said she has always been fascinated by clothing, even as a child.
“From the time that I was little, I was always attracted to textile and design, not knowing I had the ability to do that though.”
She said she was “fascinated with how clothes hung on bodies.”
As she grew up, she chose social work for her career path, but her love of fashion design always remained.
King spent 20 years in social work, helping youth and fostering children while raising her own daughter at the same time.
Every day, she said, she daydreamed about selling clothes.
In 2014, she said she came to a point in her life not knowing what the next step would be.
She took a break from social work and seriously questioned how she wanted to make her foray into the fashion world, whether it was selling clothes or making the clothing herself.
She studied fashion for 10 weeks, fell in love with it, and from there, that’s when she knew she wanted to get into the fashion industry.
“It took me some years after that where I got to the point where I started my own brand.”
That happened in November 2022 when she launched her brand.
The response from her customers was immediate.
“I’ve experienced some amazing success. I’ve sold out within the first 10 minutes of launching my brand back in November of 2022. Here I am now.”
King says it’s important to share your talents with the world but first, you need to remove the barriers.
“We’re all born with gifts within our soul and we’re meant to share those gifts with the world. It’s about removing barriers in your life to reach your fullest potential.”
She studied fashion in Florence, Italy and immersed herself in her craft to reach her success, she said.
King also read a lot of stories about other designers, and learned most of the celebrated designers of our time didn’t start until their 40s.
“Very much like myself,” she noted.
King’s latest collection, the Red Collection, is in honour of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples.
Her designs can be found online at www.lindsayking.co
