Devon Fiddler is the Founder and CEO of SheNative, a brand dealing with apparel and fashion run by the powerful female indigenous community of Canada. As an indigenous businesswoman herself, Devon Fiddler had to face many barriers, however, she emerged victorious with a company that’s now scaling great heights.
Because of her indigenous background, Devon has lived through the racism and stereotypes that many Indigenous women face. We live in a society where Indigenous women are either objectified or romanticized. Devon also struggled with some of these realities, such as the commonality of family violence, incarceration, and racism. This led her to grow up in an environment of self-doubt, lack of confidence, and hopelessness.
Scaling Her Journey
After going to university and obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree, in 2011 Devon landed her first professional position as a Business Development Coordinator. During this time, she helped First Nations entrepreneurs, inspiring her to start a company of her own.
In a few short years, Devon went from almost going down the path of aimlessness and hopelessness, to building a fashion lifestyle brand filled with light — inspiring thousands of Indigenous women along the way. Hailing from the Waterhen Lake First Nation, SK, Devon uses her gifts as a fierce thought leader and speaker, to help teach entrepreneurship, leadership, and skills development.
Vision and Mission
As per the company’s official website, “SheNative exists to instill inner strength and unwavering confidence in all women, using teachings that come from indigenous nationhood. From our perspective nationhood is knowing who you are and where you come from. Indigenous women face systemic barriers and challenges, often encountering victimization, sexualization and racial profiling. We believe that everyone has the inner strength needed to overcome barriers. Everyone can live a full, meaningful, and abundant life.”
SheNative Inc. is committed to:
- Employing Indigenous women in the design and manufacturing of our goods.
- Involving Indigenous communities and customers in our design process.
- Sharing the experiences and perspectives of local, national and international Indigenous female changemakers.
- Giving 2% of revenues toward causes that positively impact the lives of Indigenous women
Awards and Recognition
In the span of five years, Devon Fiddler has been recognized for her efforts in bringing about a change in the indigenous community on various fronts including the CBC’s Future 40 Under 40 for Business Entrepreneurship in 2015. That same year, Devon was among 20 entrepreneurs representing Canada at the G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance (YEA) Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, and received the 2015 Start-up Canada Young Entrepreneur of the year award and “Sustainable Business of the Year” for the Prairie Region. In 2016, Devon received the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award and was named one of the top 5 SheEo Ventures of 2016. Most recently, in 2019, Devon received the Trailblazers & Innovators Award through the Bank of Montreal.
Editor’s note: For more such inspiring stories of great businesswomen showing resilience, willpower, and determination to overcome barriers and emerge victoriously, don’t forget to subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Magazine.
