Entrepreneur Devon Fiddler has been on quite the journey since she launched SheNative in 2014.

Since then, SheNative has grown from a small handbag company to an established, inspirational brand with a significant following on social media known for spreading inspirational stories and messages of strength and resilience. Fiddler, the mother of two young boys, shares the SheNative message in her work as a public speaker, creative consultant and entrepreneurship facilitator.

The experience has put Fiddler on the international stage; in fact, Women of Saskatoon magazine talked to her as she returned from an entrepreneurship conference and leadership summit in China, where she had been invited to speak about her experience as an Indigenous entrepreneur. Fiddler also enjoys working with youth and new entrepreneurs closer to home, in workshops aimed at building confidence and developing skills.

Fiddler spent her early years on Waterhen Lake First Nation in northern Saskatchewan, finishing high school in Meadow Lake. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Saskatchewan, where she majored in Aboriginal public administration, she took a job as a research assistant with the Meadow Lake Tribal Council’s economic development arm. Fiddler was soon promoted to a position counselling aspiring entrepreneurs from the organization’s nine member nations. She pored over business plans and financial statements, helping to write business proposals and grant applications. With that, the spark of entrepreneurship was lit.

A few years later, Fiddler dove in and launched SheNative, a socially driven company that strives to empower Indigenous women.

“To me, empowering women means many things: providing employment, contributing to charities that support Indigenous women, collaborating (with) and supporting Indigenous artists, models, designers and suppliers and more,” Fiddler said.

While SheNative began as a brand of handbags, it has grown into much more than that. Early on in the business, Fiddler launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund production of her luxury handbags with perks, including apparel with inspirational sayings such as her own personal mantra: She Believed She Could So She Did. The apparel was incredibly popular, and it has become a significant part of the business today and a valuable tool in spreading SheNative’s message and growing the brand.

SheNative’s creative process is intensely collaborative. Over the years, she has worked with many Indigenous creatives including Axis Imagery, Sweetmoon Photography, Johnny Marceland, Marylou Mintram, Savage Rose and more. SheNative’s director of business development, Tori-Lynn Wanotch, has been designing with the company since 2016. The company has also done consignment with regional designers including Helon Oro, Misty Rain Designs, Awasis Boutique and others. Fiddler is also grateful to have had the chance to work on some unique campaigns, and to have developed lines like the Red Purse Collection, which SheNative released in March 2019.

The Red Purse Collection was launched to create awareness about the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG). Fifteen per cent of the profits are directed to charities providing support services for Indigenous women. The collection was inspired by Winnipeg-based Métis artist Jamie Black’s REDress Project, which began in 2011 as a visual response to the issue of violence against Indigenous women. “The Red Purse Collection is important to me because, too often, we have known someone whose life has been taken,” said Fiddler. “There is real fear among Indigenous women. We are often afraid to do things, or go to new places because of what could possibly happen. I just think it’s so important for us to honour the lives that have been lost.”

On June 1, 2019, Fiddler proudly cut the ribbon on SheNative’s first permanent location in downtown Saskatoon, at 714A Second Ave. North. The new store is more than just retail – it is headquarters for SheNative administration, design, development and production.

“The store is a real milestone for us, to have a long-term space to call our own,” said Fiddler. “Up until this year, we’ve relied on short-term pop-up shops and our online presence. This storefront means consistency and a viable business for the long term. It’s just so great to have our whole team under one roof.”

Fiddler doesn’t take the company’s success for granted.

“I take my commitments to my employees, my lenders and my suppliers seriously,” she said. “There have been times that I have wanted to give up, but I have always found a way to keep SheNative going.”

Fiddler is excited to see where the company grows in the next five years, and is looking forward to expanding the brand to empower even more women to start their own journeys of entrepreneurship.

-Jacqueline Woods