Meet the artists behind your favourite Native Northwest Products

Native Northwest has won the copyright infringement lawsuit filed on behalf of Indigenous artist Dr. Francis Horne Sr. after his original Sasquatch T-shirt design was copied and sold without permission.

Canada's Federal Court confirmed that the original Sasquatch design was taken, reproduced, and sold knowingly without consent. This ruling comes after a gruelling 3 year undertaking to seek justice for Francis and his wife Brenda. Indigenous art theft is a serious problem, yet there are currently no special laws to prevent fraudulent Indigenous art from being created or sold in Canada.

Our hope is that this judgement provides legal precedent against Indigenous art theft and appropriation to put us one step closer to stopping Indigenous art theft.

Thank you to our network of artists, partners, and friends for their support throughout this process. Most of all, we want to acknowledge Francis for his courage in standing up against Indigenous art theft. We will continue to be vocal advocates for Indigenous artists and authentic Indigenous art.

For more than 40 years, authenticity of Indigenous art has been the foundation to our mission of building everyday connections to Indigenous cultures. These are our guiding principles for our collaborations with every artist and on every design.

1. Artists Are Paid Royalties
Artists are paid up-front for their art and then paid royalties on every sale twice a year.

2. Consent and Collaboration
All artists provide contractual permission for their art to be licensed and featured on Native Northwest products. We collaborate with each artist to ensure their design on Native Northwest products represents the artist's vision and maintains its cultural integrity.

3. 100% Authentic
100% of the art featured on Native Northwest products is designed by Indigenous artists. Artist names and cultural affiliations are on all product packaging to give artists the recognition they deserve, to acknowledge the cultural traditions being honoured, and to mark the art's authenticity.

The values behind our brand originate with the founding reason for the company: Indigenous arts and cultures, designed by Indigenous artists, built on a foundation of respect and authenticity. We tie authentic designs to bold, new concepts where artists can tell the stories of their communities and cultures through their distinct designs.

We act as partners to the artists we collaborate with and stewards of the artwork featured on Native Northwest products. While our founder is non-Indigenous, each of our exchanges, from the sourcing and compensation of Indigenous artists, to our staff and merchants, are part of a 40 year relationship between Indigenous cultures and the communities we pledge to honour and respect.