Star News Ayi Jihu

The wait is finally over. The brand new Ayi Jihu Fear Chaser outfit is here. Designed by Native Canadian (Cree/Chippewa/Metis),  Angela DeMontigny. The new Fear Chaser design is set to give the Superhero look a new ethnic and Native twist.

Angela DeMontigny, one of the world’s top Native Canadian Fashion designers met with Ayi Jihu at A Celebration of Women Foundation Inc event in Canada in 2011. The two hit it off straight away and soon after,  Ms. DeMontigny was officially announced as the Stylist and designer for Ayi Jihu and Fear Chaser. Ayi Jihu and Shlepp Entertainment Ltd were keen to have a unique eye cast on the styling of Ayi and Fear Chaser and Angela proved to be the perfect person to realize their vision.

The stunning design totally transforms the Fear Chaser image encapsulating all the unique elements embodied in the Ayi Jihu Fear Chaser story. The unique, ethnic and colourful design will challenge the way superheroes are viewed in Western cultures. We managed to get Angela DeMontigny on the phone and speak to her about her design, Ayi Jihu and Fear Chaser:

Angela your Fear Chaser design is stunning, how did you come up with it?

Thank you. For me, once I got to know Ayi Jihu and Stevie Eagle E and understood what She and Fear Chaser was all about, the idea practically formed itself in my head instantly. I already knew Ayi as a Woman of Action and part of ACOW (A celebration of Women Foundation Inc). It was obvious to me she was no ordinary performer or person. Her charitable and philanthropic work speaks for itself, but it was in coming face to face with her and talking to her that I really began to understand the full picture of what she and Stevie were trying to achieve with Fear Chaser. Once you understand what they are all about and the messages they are trying to get across, it’s amazing and for me the design came quickly.

The main challenge for me with the design was coming up with something that Ayi herself could wear. Ayi is Fear Chaser. It’s a bit different to Angelina Jolie playing Tomb Raider. Ayi and Fear Chaser are one and the same, so anything I designed had to be something she herself would want to wear.

Your design seems to have strong influences from several cultures can you talk us through it?

I tried to incorporate as many Yi influences as I could to represent Ayi’s heritage as well as the other cultural elements that are part of Fear Chaser (Native American, African, Indian, etc.) without looking TOO traditional yet still retaining a cool ethnic vibe, some sex appeal and of course functionality….she has to be able to MOVE when she’s fighting all those nasty demons!

This costume will be the foundation from where all other future outfits (for related Fear Chaser performances, events and products) will be based upon.

As a native designer (Cree/Chippewa/Metis) from Canada, I totally relate to wanting to dress in a very unique and original way that expresses who I am and where I come from. I’ve tried to do this for Ayi and Fear Chaser….I think the combination of these influences came together in a very exciting way and completely represents who she is. She loves it and that to a certain degree is the most satisfying thing for a designer.

There are quite a few accessories that go with it can you tell us more about them?

Well as I said before the Fear Chaser costume is a combination of ethnic influences from traditional Yi clothing and Native American to African and Indian. The accessories combine these traditional ethnic influences: Wrist Cuffs, Belt (Medicine Wheel) and boots: Native American -Beaded/Jewelled Headpiece: Chinese/Indian – Necklace: (not shown) Chinese/Native American – Spear: African. There is Traditional Yi embroidery on the skirt panel and the striped design on the top which is combined with Native American/tribal geometric patterns and beaded fringe.

We noticed the Fear Chaser Medicine Wheel emblem on the belt of your drawing, was this also a part of your inspiration when designing the costume?

The colours on the Fear Chaser costume are based on the 4 colours of the Medicine Wheel, which is a big part of Native American and other cultures. Red is the more dominant colour and is very important in many cultures (especially Chinese and Native American) and symbolizes protection, sacredness, power and good luck.

How do you see the future for yourself and Fear Chaser developing?

Since I started working on this, things have already developed quite rapidly. I am now the Cultural advisor for North American Native content on Fear Chaser as well as the head stylist and designer, not just for Fear Chaser but also for Ayi. It’s a great responsibility because I am very respectful about my culture and heritage and she feels the same about hers.  I feel happy to be able to help them work with it and to also guide them so that the audience will be given an opportunity to experience a small but real glimpse into these cultures. I have been lucky enough to read the early drafts of the Fear Chaser story and there are a lot of North American Native references and teachings in it as well as other ethnic influences . I guess the most obvious is the Medicine wheel. I am happy to have been a part of helping them with that part of the story as I feel it’s important for people to learn what that symbol represents…it is the embodiment of our connection to everything and everyone….all races, all of creation.  Fear Chaser is an amazing story… nothing quite like it has been done before, while at the same time it seems to be similar to so many great things we all already know and love.

As I mentioned before this is more than just a costume for a super hero It’s a lifestyle and brand and a whole range of clothing and accessories that truly represents Ayi Jihu. I see a bright future working with Ayi, Shlepp Entertainment Ltd and Fear Chaser. Our visions and desires are on the same path. It’s an exciting time right now.

Finally we asked Angela how she sees the rest of the year panning out.

Well it’s an exciting year ahead for me on several fronts. I am in the process of building my own brand and business which is going very well. With regards to Ayi and Fear Chaser, there is so much going on there it’s impossible to say what will happen. All I can say is that it looks amazing, her schedule this year alone is quite breath taking. Right now it is the calm before the storm and so we are all preparing like mad for the summer. Her live shows, Anime and gaming events, TV shows and film schedule will keep us all on our toes I’m sure. Stevie (CEO of Shlepp Entertainment Ltd) and I have spoken many times and we are both the same when it comes to taking one day at a time and staying grounded.  That said, he has great expectations for Ayi this year so we shall keep working hard, building sure and slowly and see how it develops.

We spoke briefly to Stevie Eagle E CEO of Shlepp Entertainment Ltd about Angela DeMontigny and Fear Chaser he told us the following:

Angela has been a huge asset for us. Her vision and understanding of Ayi Jihu and Fear Chaser has made working with her so easy and so much fun. Basically; She gets it. We have great plans to expand all she is doing into retail and other areas. This year has already been amazing for many reasons, but the tail end of the year starting from this summer is just looking out of this world for us so we are working our socks off now to be prepared. The Anime event which is coming at the end of summer at the Las Vegas Convention center is going to be huge and will see Ayi Jihu and Fear Chaser take the live experience to a 3D level on stage. What we are planning is out of this world. Getting the Fear Chaser costume right was a big part of the whole thing and Angela got it right.

The PR and Marketing for everything will kick off in several weeks and we’ll be doing some really cool things. We want to get the fans involved as much as possible in the development of Fear Chaser. One of the things we are  doing is running competitions allowing people to participate by writing, drawing or designing certain parts of the Fear Chaser story or image. If you look closely at Angela’s design you will notice that the wrist bands are blank. She purposely left them this way for the competition. We want kids to design the pattern or artwork that will go on these wristbands and in doing so complete the Fear Chaser outfit and write their name in history. We shall be running other cool competitions just like this. The next month or so is key as we are doing our best to be prepared for all that is coming and it’s quite a bit. New songs, new videos, the short movie and the short story are just some of the things being worked on right now.

Anyone who knows anything about me knows I am global in my thinking. I am always looking out for special people in all lines of work to collaborate and work with. All they have to be able to do is their job and do it on a high level. If like Angela they are Native Canadian or American Indian, African, or Chinese then that just adds flavour to the mix for me, because I am going to get everything that the top regular folk do with an extra twist. I am gonna get a different vibe and that is what I am looking for. I hate anything that’s typical or predictable. I am looking for people from left field who have that x factor that can make things happen and plug into our vision because we have a global vision with a global artist who wants to work with these kinds of people and explore it all. Ayi is different so it allows us to be different. Unlike many others we are free to do what we want to do. The only criteria is you have to be hot! and Angela DeMontigny is a hot fashion designer!

For more information on Ayi Jihu please visit her website www.Ayijihu.com

Find out more about Angela DeMotigny

Find out more about Fear Chaser