Derek Jagodzinsky

My desire to be part of Shift Lab arises from my passion and purpose in life. For the past decade, I have been operating a fashion company called luxx ready to wear where I have focused my attention on altering negative perceptions of Indigenous culture through art and design. I have an Indigenous heritage that I heavily draw creative inspiration from and from which I largely derive my values. I recently completed my Masters in Industrial Design, where I completed a brand development project titled ‘Modern Indigenous.’ This involved using product thinking and design methods to create a new Indigenous identity that integrates traditional knowledge and skills with modern society. Being a double minority, I understand the hardships that Indigenous people as well as members of the LBQT community have to endure and I am deeply motivated to change this.