Calgary designer builds fashion brand grounded in cultural resurgence

By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(ANNews) – At 41, Calgary-based Indigenous fashion designer Stephanie Gamble is building a career that bridges fashion, cultural expression, and community healing, shaped by her identity as a Plains Cree woman and a life marked by foster care, intergenerational trauma, and recovery.

“My Indigenous name is Thundering Thunderbird Woman. I am the daughter of Doris Ben and James Gamble, and the granddaughter of Edna Ben and Joe Bear of Makwa Sahgaiechan, Saskatchewan, and Violet and Arsene Gamble of Beardy’s and Okemasis,” she said.

Gamble says her identity is grounded in purpose and a deep responsibility to community. “My identity as a Plains Cree woman shaped me by gifting me strength and determination, the ability to rise, rebuild, and keep going. Even challenges become my power.”

She points to her family’s teachings as foundational to who she is today. “My grandparents would take in people in need, feed them, or help them in any way they could,” she said. “They relied on Creator to get through anything.”

She adds that creativity and resilience run through her lineage, shaping her artistic path.

Her earliest relationship with fashion began in childhood, where she experimented with design and self-expression. “I was sketching designs in school, making Barbie clothes, dressing up, braiding colourful thread in my hair, and even dyeing my hair with Kool-Aid.”

But her path changed after becoming a young mother and confronting the realities of trauma and instability. “I went through so much growing up. I became a young mom, and I knew I needed to heal. I needed to break cycles of intergenerational trauma, poverty, and instability, and give my children a different life.”

That decision became the foundation for C. Lysias Designs, her fashion and wellness brand rooted in identity, healing, and self-acceptance.

For Gamble, fashion became a way to survive and transform experience into expression. “Fashion can be a form of healing. It’s a way to tell our stories and convey our messages to the world. It’s a way to transmute emotions into art and beauty, and take our power back.”

She describes her work as deeply connected to cultural reclamation. “Every garment has trauma woven into the seams. Every stitch tells a story of overcoming adversity. It’s a voice for everything I couldn’t say before.”

Her collections often draw from Cree language and teachings, including Iskotew (fire), Wîcihitowin (unity), and Miyoskamin (spring and renewal). “I am learning my language as I go, and I am proud to teach my children and grandchild,” she said.

Entirely self-taught, Gamble says she developed her craft without formal training. “I taught myself how to sew. I didn’t go to school for it. Everything I create is from scratch – I just take fabric and build the pattern myself.”

Motherhood became a turning point in her life. “I made a lot of sacrifices to move into sobriety, stability, and better choices. I just needed to give my children the life I never had.”

Over time, her personal healing expanded outward into community work. “When I started sharing my story, people began coming to me and sharing theirs. It just grew from there.”

She now runs workshops in ribbon skirt making, moccasin making, and beadwork, focused on cultural reconnection and healing for youth. “I want to create safe spaces where young people can come in, learn these skills, and heal through them.”

Mental health awareness is also part of her message.“I was a very suicidal teen growing up because of trauma,” she said. “I want young people to know that’s not where their story ends. There is hope. Life is worth living.”

Faith continues to anchor her. “I pray morning, evening, all the time. I’m so connected to Creator that it keeps me grounded no matter what I go through.”

Through Fashion With a Passion, Gamble has partnered with Child and Family Services to create cultural regalia and powwow kits for children in care – work she describes as personal healing as well as community responsibility.

“I heal my inner child by helping them as well.”

She also works as a Program Support Officer with the Indigenous Business Corporation, supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs in business development and access to funding.

Her work has gained recognition in Calgary’s fashion community, including being named one of Avenue Calgary’s Best Dressed and participating in multiple Indigenous fashion showcases and collaborations.

One of her most significant upcoming milestones is international. Gamble has been accepted to travel to Tokyo, Japan in June, where she will present a 10-piece collection with 10 Indigenous models as part of a cultural fashion exchange.

She is scheduled to be in Tokyo on June 18 and 19, where she plans to create a cultural exchange through fashion.

“I’m an independent fashion designer in Tokyo, Japan. My goal is to have a cultural market exchange, present my 10-piece collection, bring 10 Indigenous models, and do a photo shoot in downtown Tokyo with my team and Indigenous business.”

She says the goal is visibility, exchange, and global storytelling. “I want to bring Indigenous fashion to a global stage and share who we are through what we create.”

Looking ahead, Gamble hopes to establish a nonprofit focused on healing through the arts, creating space for youth in fashion, music, and creative expression. “I have a vision of Indigenous fashion houses, runways, and institutions led by our own people. I see youth walking in confidence, grounded in who they are and where they come from.”

Despite her growing career, she says her foundation remains unchanged. “I stay grounded through prayer. Everything else can be taken away, but that connection cannot.”

Connect with Stephanie Gamble on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.lysiasdesigns/; Brand: C. Lysias Designs / Fashion With a Passion.