Red Dress Day - Remembering and Honouring Indigenous Women

Every year on May 5, communities across Canada observe Red Dress Day, this is a day to honour and remember Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S+).

You’ll often see empty red dresses hanging in trees, along fences, or in public spaces. These are not decorations, rather they’re a powerful reminder of the lives that should still be here.

Red Dress Day was inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black through her installation, The REDress Project, which uses red dresses to represent the absence of Indigenous women taken too soon. The colour red is believed to be the only colour spirits can see, calling them back, and reminding us not to forget.

I was fortunate enough to have a few friends who wanted to do a similar project through photography and graphic design. The images above are what we created for this day of honouring those who were taken early.

This day isn’t just about awareness.
It’s about reflection. It’s about accountability. And it’s about listening.

For many, it’s deeply personal.

Taking a moment to learn, to acknowledge, and to stand in respect matters. Whether that means attending a local gathering, wearing red, or simply educating oneself, every action counts.

Because this isn’t just history.

It’s something that’s still happening to this day.

And it deserves to be seen.