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Award-winning television host and journalist Michaella Montana is turning the camera on her own community with the launch of Behind the Seams with Michaella Montana, a broadcast-quality documentary web series dedicated to Indigenous fashion designers worldwide.
Premiering January 20, 2026, with two back-to-back episodes on YouTube, the eight-part series moves beyond seasonal trends and instead positions Indigenous fashion as high art. Each episode explores the creative philosophies, cultural frameworks, and design ethics that shape the work of contemporary Indigenous designers.
“For too long, Indigenous design has been exploited and misappropriated,” Montana shares. “We are shooting with the same cinematic rigour reserved for Paris Fashion Week because these designers deserve that level of reverence.”
The double premiere introduced two powerful narratives.
Episode One featured Jennifer Younger, a Tlingit jewelry designer and metalworker from Yakutat, Southeast Alaska. Younger reflected on the cultural meaning embedded in traditional Tlingit metal carving and how those ancestral forms translate into modern luxury.
Episode Two centered on Taalrumiq, an Inuvialuit designer from Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, recognized by many from Project Runway Canada. The episode traced how garments originally designed for Arctic survival have evolved into contemporary couture, without losing their cultural and environmental roots.
While Montana is widely known for her tenure as the first Indigenous woman to host Canada’s top entertainment news program etalk, Behind the Seams marks her debut as an independent showrunner. The series is entirely self-produced and distributed freely on YouTube, ensuring accessibility for Indigenous youth and communities. A companion vertical campaign on Instagram and TikTok extends its reach across digital platforms.
A proud member of Frog Lake First Nation, Montana has long navigated mainstream media spaces—from red carpets at TIFF and the Junos to award-winning broadcast specials. Now, she is shifting the lens inward.
“This isn’t just about clothes,” she explains. “It’s about cultural preservation and sovereignty. It’s about archiving our talent and showing the world that Indigenous fashion is the original slow fashion.”
With cinematic storytelling and an all-women-led production team, Behind the Seams positions Indigenous designers not as a passing trend, but as foundational voices in the global style conversation.
The last episode features designer Jill Waterman and premieres on Montana’s YouTube channel on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Here are the designers that Montana featured so far in the episode order, alongside their premiere date:
- January 20: Jennifer Younger & Taalrumiq
- January 27: Reecreeations – Agnes Yellowbear
- February 3: Dene Couture by Tishna Marlowe
- February 10: K. Lookinghorse – Kayla Lookinghorse
- February 17: Haus of Dumont – Michel Dumont
- February 24: Merdi Sihombing
- March 3: Jill Waterman
