How a Yellowknife jeweller's necklace ended up on Billie Eilish in a Vogue photo shoot
CBC
It started last year when Gwich'in jeweller Tania Larsson made a contemporary but traditionally inspired dentalium shell necklace with silver chain.
Her partner Razelle Benally immediately complimented Larsson on it. And, as per custom, says Larsson, when someone compliments an item you make, it's gifted to that person.
Later, when Benally was at the Tribeca Festival in New York City at a film premiere wearing the same necklace, Gwich'in and Lakota model and activist Quannah Chasinghorse saw it and she complimented Benally on it.
"[She] was like, 'Oh my God, it's so beautiful,'" said Larsson.
So Benally took it off and gave it to Chasinghorse.
More recently, when Chasinghorse was in the midst of a Vogue digital cover shoot with singer and songwriter Billie Eilesh — who opted to share her cover shoot with climate activists — she gave it to the celebrity.
"So on the shoot, Quannah ended up giving it to her because she wanted to give her a piece of Gwich'in adornment for this moment, and for the work that she's done, and like bringing in all these activists and amplifying their voices on this platform," Larsson said.
Larsson didn't find out that Eilish had worn her necklace until Benally phoned her.
"I was in shock. I was completely in shock. Actually, my partner called me and was like, Did you see the news? Did you see this news?" Larsson recalled. "I was just like, speechless."
Vogue's January digital issue focuses on climate activism.
Larsson said having an international stage was exciting, not just to show off her work as a jeweller, but to amplify a message about the environment.
"It's really special because they talk about issues that are close to my heart," Larsson said.
"Oftentimes, I felt that, being up North and trying to talk about things that are impacting our nations, that are impacting our lands and our way of life, like the caribou is so important for us up here, that I felt like I was screaming into a void or screaming to the people who already knew the message," Larsson said.
"So to have them on this huge platform, with hundreds of millions of followers seeing this, and to a huge audience, that was so important, because that's why we do the work that we do — to talk about how important the environment is."
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