Darlene Monette

Darlene Monette is an Métis Elder woman born in Portage La Prairie, MB. She learned to sew at a very young age. She taught herself to sew on an old petal machine and sewed her own clothes as it was cheaper that way, with the family not having much money. Her sewing over the years have including mending and adjusting ready-made outfits. A few years ago, her sister asked her to make her a ribbon skirt. Others saw her skirt and asked Darlene to make them a skirt, and it snowballed from there.

Darlene adds her personal flair to the skirts as they are made without elastic and are more adjustable and comfortable with fabric ties. She makes her skirts very customized to the person who she is making it for. She believes that a ribbon skirt should represent the person wearing it, representing culture and strength. The colours have different meanings. Red, white, yellow and black represent the medicine wheel and the four directions. She finds that a person will choose colours that they are drawn to.