Fashion
Wearable art bio
Visionary fashion designer and artist Sandra Prest-Froher, originally from Terrace BC, now resides on Vancouver Island were she lives, and plays on the traditional ancestral and unceded territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. As a proud member of Sqwá First Nation, Sandra powerfully expresses and deeply reveres her Indigenous heritage through her sustainable fashion line, Spirit Essence. As the force behind Spirit Essence , Sandra is dedicated to sharing the compelling stories of her ancestors-their remarkable resilience and profound connection to the land. Each piece is a tribute, designed to preserve and revitalize the very essence of Indigenous culture. Sandra’s commitment to sustainability is integral to her artistry. She hand-dyes her garments using organic materials foraged from nature, creating authentic, earthly hues that enhance her connection to the land. These pieces are further embellished with handmade jewelry crafted from copper, feathers, bark, and plants, resulting in a vibrant fusion of traditional knowledge, ancestral history, and contemporary expression.
Spirit Essence garments convey powerful messages of environmental stewardship and champion sustainable fashion. Through her unique designs, Sandra intricately weaves narratives of resilience, profound beauty, and the indomitable spirit of her people. Her heart felt aspirations with Spirit Essence is to empower Indigenous voices, reclaim narratives, and ensure the rich legacy of her Stó:lõ heritage flourishes.
ECO-DYED FASHION LINE
Her textile art is focused on eco-print dyeing using plants on natural fabrics like silk, cotton and linen. Sandra uses botanical dyes derived from leaves, bark, stems, seeds, roots, and acorns. She connects with nature by walking, foraging, and gathering organic materials to begin her eco-pigment process. Her works feature plant material both indigenous and non- indigenous to each region from local nature walks to create a dialogue about the land and environment around us. She then makes a mordant using found rusted iron which intensifies the strains in the plant cells or tissue preparations. Through a ritual of care and labour, Sandra bundles the organic materials tightly with string in the fabric before the layers are stacked and steamed over hot water for many hours. Sandra's one-of-a-kind wearable art are a slow cloth approach to textile art and harness environmentally sustainable colour from the local landscape. She sees each creation acting as a conduit of care, collaboration, and re-consideration between human-plant relations.
Froher’s Fashion and Art has been collected throughout Europe, UK and North America.
Sandra Froher is represented by:
Huntingdon Manor in Victoria BC - Nature Jewelry for purchase
