A Counsellor. A Grand Chief. An Illustrator. A Financial Professional. Meet the June Models.

When they’re not in front of the camera, these multi-talented folks are doing pretty incredible things in their communities. We’re honoured to introduce the models of our Lance Cardinal collection.  

Joanna Gladue (she/her)

Joanna is a proud First Nations woman and member of the Bigstone Cree⁠ Nation in Calling Lake, Alberta. She is a single mother of two children, living and working in the city of Edmonton. Joanna is a professional trauma therapist, trained in providing counselling services to Indigenous populations of all ages. She also provides cultural awareness training to various non-profit and government agencies and is involved in community activism and advocating for Indigenous⁠ Rights.⁠ 

Chief Billy Morin (he/him)

In 2015, Chief Billy Morin was elected as the youngest Chief in the history of Enoch Cree Nation Maskêkosihk at the age of 28. Now in his third term, his most important accomplishments include revitalizing Cree language and culture, prioritizing youth education and empowerment, and catalyzing Enoch’s exponential economic development to diversify the Nation’s businesses. In 2020, Chief Morin was elected by the other 16 Chiefs of Treaty Six to represent them as Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations for a one-year term.⁠

Says Chief Morin, "[I'm] proud to be reppn the full Indigenous Artist Entrepreneur Lance Cardinal X Unbelts collection - the product honours First Nations, Metis & Inuit nihwakahmakanak."

Follow along with Chief Morin on Facebook.   

Baylee Giroux  (she/her, he/him)

Baylee is a proud First Nations member of the Driftpile Cree Nation. She is a Two-Spirit illustrator, representing 2SLGBTQ+ and cultural themes in her anime and cartoon inspired art. He is also a mental health advocate, author and cultural educator. Says Baylee, "Indigenous representation in media is a big passion of mine. It's why I love redesigning pop culture characters as Native people, I never got to see that sort of thing growing up and watching cartoons."

She recently wrote an article for Vice about This Land Is My Land, an indie video game released in 2019. In the piece Baylee "explores the mythos of Indigenous representation in media, how we get portrayed as being violent and a monolith, and viewed as just a means for fantasy role playing." 

The photos of Baylee (as well as Joanna, Chief Billy Morin, and Darrell) were taken by artist and photographer Lance Cardinal. Says Baylee, "I’m really lucky and fortunate to be the 2SLGBTQ+ rep for this campaign. I wrote my own bio using my pronouns and Two-Spirit identity before I was totally out to my whole family. Which was a big deal for me. I love the location we shot at, getting to pose with giant Cree syllabics was awesome. And I unintentionally matched them! Some proceeds of this collection go towards the Edmonton 2 Spirit Society which I’ve mingled with and felt accepted by so that’s really awesome too."

Keep up with Baylee and his art on Instagram. 

Darrell Brertton Jr. (He/Him)

Darrell Joe Brertton is a member of the Saddle Lake Cree First Nations. He's been dancing and travelling the powwow trail ever since he could walk. Darrell shares Indigenous awareness at school bookings, and community events throughout the year within Edmonton & throughout Alberta. Darrell's passion is traveling the powwow trail across Canada and the USA, as well as, enriching, empowering, and educating everyday people to grow and multiply their money. Darrell also won second place in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the World's Largest Gathering of Nations Powwow. 

Darrell is also a social media sensation, showcasing the pride he has for his culture to his 85k+ followers. His TikTok has something for everyone - hilarious comedy, quick financial tips, and incredible dancing.

You can find Darrell on TikTok and Instagram. 

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You can learn more about Indigenous history from coast to coast here, and use this interactive map to find out what Indigenous land you live and work on. Here at Unbelts, we are on Treaty 6 Territory, which extends across present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan; a traditional meeting ground for many Indigenous peoples, in particular the Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Dene and Nakota Sioux, and the Métis Nation of Alberta Region 4; on whose territory we live, work, and stand.