Support Local Indigenous Artists This Orange Shirt Day
Buy authentic Indigenous-designed orange shirts from five London-area vendors ahead of Sept. 30. Learn where to shop and why supporting local makers matters for reconciliation.
Orange Shirt Day Indigenous artists
Why Your Orange Shirt Purchase Matters This Year
September 30 marks the sixth year Canada has officially observed National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, commonly known as Orange Shirt Day. The date honours the legacy of residential schools and the children who never came home, while acknowledging the lasting impacts on survivors and their families.
But here’s what many people don’t realize: where you buy your orange shirt sends a powerful message about what reconciliation actually means to you. Indigenous artists and shop owners across the London region are pushing back against mass-produced alternatives, urging supporters to choose locally designed and created pieces instead.
The Case for Buying from Indigenous Creators
Kathleen Doxtator, who owns the all-Indigenous shop Guided by Our Gifts in White Oaks Mall, puts it plainly. She explains that if communities genuinely want to support the betterment of Indigenous people regarding truth and reconciliation, then purchasing shirts made locally by Indigenous artists aligns more closely with those stated values.
Robin Cornelius, a Fanshawe College fine art student from Chippewas of the Thames First Nation and Oneida of the Thames First Nation, echoes this sentiment. They note that because Orange Shirt Day represents an Indigenous issue, people need to do their research to buy and represent the day correctly.
When you purchase from these five local vendors, your money stays within Indigenous communities and directly supports the artists behind the designs. It’s a tangible way to show up as an ally or to celebrate your own community’s resilience.
Guided by Our Gifts at White Oaks Mall
Doxtator, who is from Oneida Nation of the Thames, created two distinct orange shirt designs for her shop this September, each with a different audience in mind.
The first shirt features the phrase “we’re still here” across the front, designed specifically for Indigenous people to express their pride and continuity. The second shirt reads “allyship requires action,” made with Indigenous allies in mind.
Doxtator emphasizes an important point about how allies should approach reconciliation. She stresses that communities are asking people to learn Indigenous truths first before seeking reconciliation, and they want supporters to stand alongside them, not in front of them.
Western University’s Dellelce Family Bookstore
Kolbi Williams, a fifth-year Western University student and member of the Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan, from Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation, designed an orange shirt now available at the university’s bookstore.
Williams created a painting representing the Indigenous creation story of lacrosse for a school project two years ago. The imagery emphasizes an important lesson: never judge another person by their appearance because you don’t know what they’re capable of.
When Williams submitted the piece to the university’s orange shirt day design contest, she was surprised to win. She describes the experience of seeing classmates ask her to sign their shirts as meaningful and validating.
All proceeds from these shirts go to the Save the Barn Campaign, which aims to restore the last remaining structure from the former Mount Elgin Residential School. This connection ties the purchase directly to tangible restoration work honoring residential school history.
Fanshawe College Indigenous Artisan Market
Robin Cornelius won Fanshawe College’s Institute of Indigenous Learning orange shirt design contest with a piece featuring three Indigenous children holding hands within a dream catcher.
Cornelius explains that the design symbolizes protection for future generations. The feathers incorporated into the artwork nod to their own two-spirit identity, making the shirt personally meaningful as well as culturally significant.
These shirts will be available exclusively at Fanshawe College’s Indigenous Artisan Market on September 30. Proceeds benefit the Woodland Cultural Centre, a museum in Brantford, Ontario that preserves Indigenous history.
Rezonance Printing’s Thunderbird Design
If you’re heading to Punk Rock Flea Fest at Dundas Place on Saturday, Rezonance Printing will have orange shirts available for purchase. The Old East Village shop is featuring a Thunderbird design created by artist Phocos across the back of the shirt.
This represents one of the last chances to grab this year’s design before Orange Shirt Day arrives on September 30.
Two Row Creeations at Apple Land Station
Rebecca Neepin, who sells her work as Two Row Creeations, brings her fourth annual Apple Land pop-up to the farm in Thorndale, Ontario this weekend. Neepin is from Fox Lake Cree Nation.
Her booth will feature a variety of “Every Child Matters” T-shirts and other merchandise available for purchase on Saturday and Sunday. It’s a perfect opportunity to pick up an orange shirt while enjoying the start of fall apple picking season.
What Makes These Designs Different
Each of these five vendors offers more than just a shirt—they offer a direct connection to Indigenous artists’ creative vision and lived experience. The designs tell stories rooted in cultural knowledge, personal identity, and community values rather than generic symbols.
When you wear one of these shirts, you’re wearing art created by someone who understands residential school history not as a distant historical event, but as something that shaped their own family and community. That authenticity and intention cannot be replicated by mass manufacturers.
Making Your Purchase Count
The timeline is tight—you have until September 30 to make your choice. Guided by Our Gifts, Western University’s Dellelce Family Bookstore, and Two Row Creeations at Apple Land are available this weekend. Fanshawe’s Indigenous Artisan Market opens specifically on September 30.
If you’re planning to wear orange on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, taking time to seek out a locally designed shirt is worth the effort. You’ll have a piece that carries real meaning and real impact for the artists and communities behind it.
The message from these creators is clear: representation matters, and so does where your money goes when you show up to support a cause you believe in.
