Headband demand – Dickson Designs has a new twist on grandma’s “hankie”

When Heather Dickson started Grade 8, her grandmother told her she had the year to make a major life decision – to choose what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

“She said, ‘You better pick something you’ll enjoy doing every day,’” Dickson recalls from her home in Whitehorse, Yukon.

At the end of the year, Dickson chose to become a fashion designer. So her grandmother purchased her a new sewing machine.

Teenagers, of course, tend to change career choices every eight minutes – but not Dickson. Now 25, she is using that very same sewing machine to help run her burgeoning fashion enterprise.

Her products are brightly coloured headbands adorned with intricate beading. They are striking pieces that explode with vivid colour and feature beautiful First Nations designs.  

The headbands were originally inspired by the silk “hankies” Dickson grew up seeing Elders wear elegantly draped over their hair, like a nun’s bonnet, during special occasions.

Now her company, Dickson Designs, is employing First Nations women from across the North and having a hard time keeping up with demand. “When I put a call out, I thought the majority of people would be older – but they’re not. Many are single mothers and students from smaller communities.”

Dickson says that recruiting artists from different nations allows for a wide range of styles. “Two First Nations that are a few hours apart will have completely different styles,” she explained.

Dickson adds artist tags to her products, which identify where the person who made them comes from. She says that it is her contribution to educating the public on the diversity of peoples who inhabit the North. “There’s a whole pile of different people up here,” she said. “And all of them are different.”

The bulk of Dickson’s sales are to Indigenous people, especially those in the North. But she is beginning to sell to non-Indigenous people – something she welcomes.

Unlike headdresses, she says her headbands aren’t sacred items. “People tie their own meaning to the headband. It’s been awesome. I’m getting non-Indigenous women ask if it’s okay to wear the headbands. I say yes, it won’t offend.”

Working with traditional culture in the North is a dream come true for Dickson. She has a strong connection to Däna Näye Ventures, an Aboriginal business resource centre that she works with to develop her trade.

Curiously, it was only after Dickson left the North to study in Vancouver that she realized how powerful her connection to it was.

“My original thought was I’ll never come back,” said Dickson. “But it was kind of hard, not having access to traditional foods like caribou. And I also missed the sense of community, of knowing people when walking down the street. I felt strange not seeing my people and culture.”

Dickson is focused on growing her business and takes joy in knowing that her headbands are giving First Nations women like her confidence and pride in their Indigenous heritage. “Some say they feel like a Native princess when they wear them. It gives people a sense of pride in where they come from.”