Justin Jacob Louis

Designer Justin Jacob Louis burst onto the fashion scene in 2016 with his fearlessly hip, bold, widely celebrated Indigenous Streetwear label SECTION35 (the name is inspired by Section 35 of the Constitution Act, providing constitutional protection to the treaty rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada).For his S/S/R ’25 eponymous debut, Louis elevates SECTION 35’s aesthetic into something entirely new and unique – preserving the foundation of indigenous influence, advocacy and themes, while raising his artistic focus to a new level of distinctive urbane sophistication and luxury.“While SECTION 35 is about indigenous empowerment, pride and awareness with a big dose of L.A. street swagger, the JJL label is a more refined take on what fashion looks like through my lens,” says Louis. “We want to share our art and culture with the world and do it in a way that resonates with modern style-minded fashion sophisticates of all backgrounds.”A member of the Samson Cree Nation, Louis was born and raised in Nipisihkopahk(Samson) on the plains of western Canada. His use of top quality natural materials andEarth-friendly manufacturing processes is indicative of his deeply-ingrained spiritual connection to the natural world.“Sustainability is gradually becoming a vital element of elevated fashion, and that’s a good thing,” Louis says. “As an Indigenous person, caring for and respecting the Earth and the environment is a fundamental value – to the extent we can help lead the market in that direction, that’s certainly something we want to do.”Louis’ inaugural luxury collection features clean classic geometry, with visual embellishments and a palette of blue hues inspired by his homeland. “You’ll see florals, you’ll see syllabics from our native language, you’ll see the horses that remind me of home,” he says. “I always start with color, in this case blues in various hues and combinations. This collection’s coloration draws its inspiration from the wide azure skies of the Canadian plains – “harvest moonlight on the prairie, the silhouettes of the trees against the ombre of the twilight sky.”Justin Jacob Louis’s debut designer collection breaks new ground in menswear – from the authentically unique stylistic ethos to the pathway it cuts for Native American and other under-represented communities to the top of the designer market.