Today, we were visited by fashion designer and button blanket maker, Loni Skelton. While in class, Loni shared with us how she came to design her unique blankets and fashion items. She stated that she is a self taught artist who learned by examining the work of some of the best artists within British Columbia. Loni’s approach to designing clothing is particularly interesting. Speaking to this approach, she suggests that as it is not possible or practical to wear a blanket at all times, she was inspired to find a different way of presenting her culture to the world in the form of fashion. As she explains, the various designs that she incorporates into her clothing often reflect the traditional oral stories told to her by her family, most notably her grandmother. One of the most beautiful pieces that Loni brought with her was a coat that included such a design around its collar. She expressed that when she wears this coat, she has the sense that her “culture [is] wrapped around her” and feels grounded in who she is as an aboriginal woman.