Aritzia partners with Indigenous artist for new Orange Shirt Day design

Aritzia is commemorating Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with a new collaboration featuring an acclaimed Indigenous artist.

The Vancouver-based clothing company has unveiled their new Orange Shirt Day T-shirt designed by Atheana Picha, an interdisciplinary Salish artist from the Kwantlen First Nation.

All proceeds of the online-exclusive Every Child Matters T-shirt will be donated to Orange Shirt Society, a non-profit organization that started the annual event in 2013.

Atheana Picha/Aritzia.com

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“Orange Shirt Day is a way to shine a light on everybody who has felt the impact of residential schools,” said Picha in a release and on Aritzia’s website. “To me, it represents the honouring of Elders that have lived with this dark cloud over them for so long. This is a way to honour those who made it back and those who didn’t as well.”

The thought-provoking orange T-shirt features a Coast Salish design and the words “Every Child Matters” on the front.

Aritzia’s Every Child Matters T-shirt designed by Atheana Picha

“‘Every Child Matters is a phrase coined by Phyllis Webstad from the Canoe Creek, Dog Creek First Nation, who also founded Orange Shirt Day,” added Picha, a two-time recipient of the YVR Art Foundation Emerging Artist Scholarship. “The phrase is meant to recognize children who went to residential school, ones who never made it home, and ones who are still healing.”

Picha, who has works in the collections at the Museum of Vancouver, Burnaby Art Gallery, and Bill Reid Gallery Of Northwest Coast Art, shared on the Aritzia website that she finds inspiration from her surroundings as well as her Elders.

Atheana Picha/Aritzia.com

“I’m always looking for opportunities to look for Coast Salish design in nature and in our everyday life. I feel inspired when I’m around my Elders and teachers because they’re always looking out for each other. They’re making sure that they’re holding everybody up no matter what they’re doing. Seeing how my mentors and teachers are doing everything in a very Salish way is always inspiring to me.”

Aritzia supports a variety of Indigenous community organizations throughout the year, including Orange Shirt Society, Urban Native Youth Association, Sovereign Seeds, and Pow Wow Pitch.

“Aritzia is committed to working directly with Indigenous leaders, educators and creatives to engage our people and our communities in a learning journey on the impacts of colonization on Indigenous people in Canada and how to show allyship and solidarity for Indigenous communities,” said Renee Tirado, Head of EDI for Aritzia. “We aim to serve as an active ally that honours and supports Indigenous voices. To further show our support and raise awareness amongst our teams, we are gifting our Canadian employees the Atheana Picha t-shirt for Orange Shirt Day.

“We hope ‘Every Child Matters’ becomes a phrase known and understood nationwide as we work together towards reconciliation.”

The fashion brand has also partnered with The Circle on Philanthropy to connect with a network of Indigenous organizations creating systemic change and increasing equity, justice, and sovereignty for Indigenous peoples.

For more information on Aritzia and Picha’s Orange Shirt Day T-shirt, visit aritzia.com.

Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is on Friday, September 30.