(60s Scoop Adoptee) D’Arcy J. Moses on Survival, Fashion, and Rebuilding in a Changing Industry
Fashion designer D'Arcy Moses reflects on his journey and his vision for the future.
By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
(ANNews) – For D’Arcy J. Moses, fashion has never simply been about clothing.
It became a path back to identity, a form of ceremony, and ultimately a way to rebuild a life shaped by separation, loss, and resilience.
Born Dene and impacted by the Sixties Scoop, Moses was taken from his family as an infant and raised by a non-Indigenous family on a farm outside Camrose, Alberta.
“I’m a ’60s Scooper,” he says. “I was adopted out as an infant. The church took me away from my mother, and I was raised by non-Native people on a farm in Alberta.”
Growing up disconnected from his culture, he found himself drawn to another world – one found in the glossy pages of fashion magazines. “My mother used to have Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue magazines, and I was enamoured by them,” he recalls. “High fashion – haute couture – that’s what first really sparked my interest.”
Those magazines offered a glimpse of possibility. By his mid-teens, Moses understood that creativity would define his future. “I knew from a young age that I was creative, but I didn’t realize until my mid-teens that I wanted to get into clothing design.”
Current fashion designs by D’Arcy Moses.
Years later, after moving to Vancouver and Toronto, that childhood fascination began to take shape professionally. Along the way, Indigenous Elders recognized his talent and introduced him to the art of regalia making. “In my early twenties I was in Vancouver. I had some Elders take me under their wings and introduce me to regalia making.”
While refining his craft, Moses worked relentlessly to support himself. “I worked two or three jobs at a time – waiting tables, working in a sawmill, a lumber mill of all things. And in the evenings and weekends, I would just create.”
That persistence eventually paid off. “I had a few lucky breaks,” he says. “One of them was the Toronto Festival of Fashion, and the next day one of my garments ended up on the cover of The Globe and Mail, which was really big news at the time.”
Posts
