22Fresh's newest clothing model furthers Indigenous presence in Sask. advertising
CTV
Six-year-old Nygah Eashappie is pretty subdued about his newfound fame. The Regina boy is the latest to model in advertisements for local clothing brand; 22Fresh.
“I feel like he doesn’t even know what’s going on,” said Talisa Eashappie, Nygah’s mother. “He’s just going about his day. He just doesn’t even realize the impact of this. But I know once he gets older, he will.”
Nygah’s photoshoot, in which he sports traditional braids, has made an impression online. Talisha is thankful for all the kind messages sent in support of Nygah’s modelling.
“The reaction was amazing,” she said. “I don’t know if 22Fresh knew how important this was or how big of a deal that it was for him and everyone else to see a First Nations boy on an ad for a clothing line. It just exploded with so many positive comments and everyone shared it and had so many nice things to say. It just made my heart so happy.”
Darian Kovacs is an Indigenous business leader and founder of Jelly Digital Marketing and PR. He’s also an advocate for greater diversity in Canadian advertising through his involvement with the non-profit POCAM or the People of Color in Advertising and Marketing. He agrees that Nygah’s modelling is a sign of steady improvement for Indigenous representation in advertising.
