Indigenous entrepreneur, designer champions sustainable fashion – Newmarket Today
January 10, 2023
Brenda Dragon, founder of Aurora Heat, will give a virtual presentation as part of the CFUW Aurora/Newmarket speaker series
Indigenous entrepreneur and designer Brenda Dragon will share her work replacing single-use products and fast fashion in an upcoming speaker series with CFUW Aurora/Newmarket.
Dragon is the founder of Aurora Heat in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. The Chipewyan Dene entrepreneur started the company in 2015 making unique hand and foot warmers from fur inspired by a deep family history of trapping.
“Our family tree is full of trappers — my grandparents, my parents, and, as it turns out, my daughter and her partner are trapping in the Fort Smith area. It’s a deep part of who we are as northern people,” she said.
Leaning into the practicality of fur for warmth, she uses fur sheared from beavers to create handmade patches. These are reusable and last for years to replace one-time hand warmers packaged in plastic that only last a couple hours.
