AY LELUM -The Good house of Design at Vancouver Fashion Week

AY LEUM GOOD HOUSE OF DESIGN

" Ay Lelum-the Good House of Design" is a brand created by sisters Aunalee Boyd-Good and Sophia Seward-Good. They also were one of my most anticipated runways. In fact, from what I saw at Vancouver Fashion Week maybe the family name should be great.

Certainly a theme seems to be arising in my posts from fashion week, that is that no great art is created in a vacuum. In this case that is certainly true. The sisters, inspired by the rich culture of the Coast Salish, work in an extraordinarily talented family collective. They feature and work with their brother Joel Good, carver and artist and their Father, William Good master carver, artist and historian, to incorporate traditional family designs into their line of wearable art. Furthermore, this is all performed under the watchful eye and guiding hand of their mother, artist and designer, Sandra Moorhouse-Good.

Ay Lelum-The House of Good Design

presents

The K’wuyucun~Grizzly Bear

Since I was born in Victoria B.C. on Vancouver Island I have always had some knowledge of Coast Salish Culture. However when I was growing up First Nations culture was rarely promoted or celebrated. During my university my and since, I have been more exposed to the beautiful art and culture of the aboriginals. However, I was wholly unprepared for the amazing presentation brought to us by " Ay Lelum-the Good House of Design" .

All of a sudden the lights dimmed we were treated to an amazing video presentation, showing the majestic grizzly bear and other images. What moved me even more was the spectacular sound-scape that accompanied the video. The music created by "Ay Lelum " was incredible . We were transported to a west coast rain-forest, drums, rattles, and voices singing in the Hul'qumi'num language seemed to surround us. For me this was an incredible experience. Here is the magic that creates the collaborative art of a fashion show, the music, the video, the lighting, the photographs, the make-up, the models, and of course the garments.

Ay Lelum-The House of Good Design

THE GARMENTS

Since a fashion show is about showing the latest clothes, it is not lost on the creations of Ay Lelum. The creative sisters present a collection of ready-to-wear along side some stunning couture gowns that is both contemporary and classic.

The colors used are from a controlled palette, using colors from nature. We see shades of sea-foam and sage greens alongside a brilliant vibrant turquoise. A silver skirt , a bright mustard dress, and a metallic-blush gown, all anchored by the black design of the grizzly bear. The colors and fabrics all shimmer and dance under the lights.

Ay Lelum-The House of Good Design

I am a huge fan of watching the gowns that are worn on red carpets around the world. Therefore, I know what I'm talking about when I say, any of the beautifully cut column gowns by Ay Lelum could walk any red carpet. In shimmering ,satiny and silky fabrics the gowns caught the light like sunlight on water . The detailed screen printing of the Coast Salish grizzly bear motifs add a distinct, and unique quality to these dresses. Here, we again have the glamour I referred to in an earlier post.

Ay Lelum-The House of Good Design

Moreover not all the dresses in this collection were long . We also saw a beautiful silver dress and coat , with the same printing as the gowns . In this case the coat has a small fur collar and the entire look has a vintage quality , taking me back to a 1960's evening look. The collection caters to women of all sizes , a perfect example is a shimmering blush printed top with a velvet skirt. One of my personal favorites is a blue to green dress with a printed skirt that gives the dress an ombre' effect. All these dresses will sparkle and shine for you during the 2019 Christmas holiday season.

Not surprisingly Ay Lelum also designs a line of dresses that I'll call day to evening wear. One of the few patterns in the collection is a skirt, vest and turtle-neck that is a perfect work wear piece. The pattern on the skirt is entirely created from a grizzly bear design. Filling out the collection is a black dress with a creme bear motif and a grey dress with colored motif, this short dress is paired with a cape that gives a hoodie look effect. Together this dresses create a cohesive collection, and each individually stand-out as works of art.

Ay Lelum-The House of Good Design

IN CONCLUSION

Whenever I write about artists work I am careful to not cloud the artists intent. However, there is no argument that sisters Aunalee Boyd-Good and Sophia Seward-Good, show us their intent on the runway. There is no need for a long pre-story, these sisters are presenting their Coast Salish culture, with both love and respect. The garments carry that love and respect in their construction and design. I always feel blessed to have shared in someones art, and this surely is true about Ay Lelum-the House of Good Design.

From what I can see, Vancouver Fashion Week and it's CEO Jamal Abdourahman, have worked hard to present an inclusive event. The diversity represents ethnicities, sexual minorities and cultural groups from all over the world and Canada's Indigenous communities. The celebration of our First Nations arts is such an enriching element of Vancouver Fashion Week. I can't wait to see more from Ay Lelum-the House of Good Design.

Sisters Aunalee Boyd-Good and Sophia Seward-Good, of Ay Lelum-the House of Good Design wearing their own creations.