Ginew | The Story of Us
Ginew is the story of us; a story for everyone. Ginew began organically, as an idea we continue to explore. Our names are Erik & Amanda and our tribes are Ojibwe, Oneida, & Stockbridge-Munsee. Both of us grew up in the Great Lakes Region - northern Wisconsin & Minnesota - mostly in rural meadows and the hardwood & boreal forests. Five years ago we packed our life into the van and moved to the fertile & collaborative community of Portland Oregon to work in healthcare and grow the collection.
Through Ginew we aim to express contemporary, Native voice in the fashion ecosystem - so all may share and learn about our families and cultures. Ginew is FOR EVERYONE. To this end, we design clothes to be worn and lived in daily, garments inspired directly by our relatives. We believe there is strength in story and purpose in symbols...and we want to be able to walk through each day knowing that strength and purpose from our communities is part of how we express ourselves in the clothes we wear. The details may be subtle, but the stories and traditions loom large - be it the deer skin leather that we hunt or the integration of meaningful designs from our communities. Ginew intends to share and illuminate how, as Native people, we are part of the story of America - then, now, and future.
In the coming year, there are big changes ahead for Ginew. We could not be more excited. Together, we look to grow our community and build further collaborations and partnerships to illuminate and elevate Native voice in the fashion ecosystem. GQ kindly labeled us "The Native American designers re-defining Americana..." Stay tuned and get ready to join us as we seek to grow Ginew into a talent incubator providing opportunities for Indigenous youth to enter and succeed in this sphere... When more voices are included, we all benefit. Together, lets go!