A rare Indigenous Canadian jacket believed to be more than 170 years old has turned up at a vintage clothing warehouse in the UK. Can you help return it to its original community?
The brown fringe jacket arrived at the Glass Onion Vintage Warehouse in Yorkshire after it was brought to the UK in a clothing bale from America. After the authenticity was confirmed the store began thinking of ways to reunite its community rather than selling it.
It’s believed that the jacket was made in the 1850s by someone in one of the Métis or Cree First Nations in western Canada.
“The super soft leather, incredible beadwork, and attention to detail in the design were what instantly stood out as soon as we saw it,” said Alice Leadbetter, the shop’s head of marketing.
Consulting remotely with experts, a consensus took shape that it’s likely Métis or Cree from western Canada’s provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, or Alberta. Leadbetter noted that certain design elements such as the olive-green chain stitch on the pockets indicate it was likely made around the 1850s.
“We’ve recently found out that the fringe tassels are wrapped in dyed porcupine quills too which is pretty crazy,” she said.
“The research is still ongoing but I’m constantly discovering something new about this incredible piece. It would be amazing to get confirmation of where the jacket is from and who made it so we can look at reuniting the piece with its community.”
Leadbetter requests that anyone who has additional means of confirming the origin of the jacket to get in touch with Glass Onion Vintage Warehouse.