Why This Mi’kmaw Entrepreneur Is Promoting Cultural Diversity Through His Clothing Brand
BURNT CHURCH, N.B. – Travis Francis was fishing around his home community of Pictou Landing First Nation last year when he had the idea to start a business to help support his young family and raise awareness about social issues. So he launched Lucrative Apparel in February this year.
Francis decided to stop fishing when his girlfriend became pregnant with their youngest.
“I really want to use my business as a way to give back to the community and also just support my family,” said Francis.
Lucrative Apparel, based in Esgenoôpetitj First Nation or Burnt Church, sells hoodies, t-shirts, track suits, and baseball caps, mainly through its online store. But the clothing can also be found in four dispensaries in First Nations communities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Inspired by the late American rapper, entrepreneur and activist Nipsey Hussle, whose business included a clothing brand, Francis wants his merchandise to bring value in more ways than one.
“I want to use it as a platform to spread awareness on social issues in and around Indigenous communities,” said Francis. “And I feel like just what’s going on today with Indigenous communities, with racism and stuff like that, I just thought it would be a good opportunity to raise awareness and promote unity, especially with people that are coming to Atlantic Canada.”
During the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement this year, Francis released clothing with “a native brotherhood hands holding an eagle feather.”
He raised $3,000 from the sales of those clothes. That was then divided into three bursaries for two Black and one Indigenous graduates of the North Nova Education Centre in New Glasgow, Francis’ former high school.
When Rodney Levi, a man from Metepenagiag Mi’kmaq Nation near Miramichi, was fatally shot by police, Francis donated $5 of every item sold to Levi’s family. He raised $800 “to help with their legal fees and their battle with the RCMP to prove that it was police brutality.”
Growing up in Pictou Landing and being a Mi’kmaq fisherman, the recent dispute between commercial and Mi’kmaq fishers in Saulnierville, N.S., is not new to Francis. In fact, it affected his family and friends directly.
His friend Robert Syliboy’s boat was torched following weeks of tension. Global News reported that the RCMP was investigating and ruled the incident suspicious.
While Francis’ family fished about two hours away from Saulnierville, they’re also affected. His brother’s lobster traps were recently taken out of the water, he said.
However, he hopes that by advocating for more cultural understanding through his brand, people will learn more not only about treaties and First Nations cultures, but also about other cultures present in the region.
He says it’s really important to talk about diversity, and it’s the “perfect time” to do so, especially for children and youth. He hopes by normalizing diversity, it can help with anti-racism efforts.
“All you’re seeing right now is a lot of racism, a lot of hate,” he said.
“I want to step away from the hate and put more emphasis on our cultural backgrounds and just be more aware of who’s around, and especially in areas like Moncton and Halifax, it’s just getting more diverse every year,” he said. “So, I think it’d be more wise to just learn about more cultures and spread more awareness on the different cultures that are surrounding us, and surrounding our children.”
He says sometimes people living in rural areas could face a “culture shock” when going to bigger cities that have become much more diverse.
“It’s like they don’t know how to react to certain people and maybe they’ll poke fun and they don’t even realize that it’s hurting the other person,” he added. “So, I feel like just spreading more awareness on cultural diversity would really impact society today, especially the Atlantic Canada.”
He’s tried to do that by hiring diverse models for his clothes, and is flushing out other ideas.
For now, he’s upping his business skills by taking an online course, working to find funding opportunities, and to get his merchandise into larger stores. He also hopes to fundraise again for the student bursaries.
“I want to try to just keep achieving my goals and give a little bit more for the students each time, or whatever it is that I’m raising awareness about,” he said.
Inda Intiar is a reporter for Huddle. Send her story suggestions: [email protected]