Hudson Wiliams wearing the Journey Knit Cardigan Justin Jacob Louis’ label Section 35.Jason Lowrie/BFA.com/Supplied
Justin Jacob Louis almost forgot it was happening.
The Indigenous designer, who is based in B.C.’s Fraser Valley, had taken the day off to spend the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation with his family. And then a picture of Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams wearing one of his designs hit the internet. The orders started coming in almost immediately.
“Probably within one to two hours of the sweater hitting the feeds, it was gone,” Louis says of the sweater, the Journey Knit Cardigan from his label Section 35. It brought attention to his other work, too, and people – as they often do with the clothes Williams and his costar Connor Storrie wear – are eager to get their hands on it when it becomes available again. “There’s been a bit of a waterfall of other sales, too, and a major request for restocking of the cardigan.”
On a heavy day of reflection for Louis, Williams’s decision to support an Indigenous designer was a bright spot. “It’s pretty cool. I think what stands out, though, was the genuine intention and support that he showed. He didn’t ask for it for free. He purchased it, which is so important for an independent designer,” Louis says (the sweater retails for $350). “And he could have worn any designer, but he chose to represent an Indigenous designer on that day. He even messaged me directly to thank me for getting him that piece. So he was very genuine and intentional, and that meant a lot to me.”
Williams is from British Columbia originally, and he hand-selected the piece from Louis’s collection to wear to an event happening that day, the announcement of Heated Rivalry’s charity, the Irina Foundation (a nod to the one main characters Shane, played by Williams, and Ilya discuss in the show). It supports established non-profits that offer organized sports and arts programs and champion inclusivity and mental health with a focus on LGBTQ and underserved communities.
Justin Jacob Louis, the The Indigenous designer of label Section 35Alex Waber/Supplied
A member of his team drove to Louis’s Fraser Valley studio on Sunday to pick the sweater up since shipping wasn’t an option because of time constraints and, by Wednesday, Williams was on stage in New York wearing the cardigan paired with a necklace from Bvlgari’s Save the Children collection, which sends parts of its proceeds to programs that provide opportunities to the world’s most vulnerable youth.
Louis has been a designer for more than 10 years. His work has appeared at New York Fashion Week and the 2025 Met Gala and has earned him a nomination for Menswear of the Year at the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards.
The Journey Knit Cardigan’s inspiration is deeply personal. “It’s based on a dream I had. At the time, I was feeling far from home and disconnected from my community. And I had a dream about being back home on my reserve in Alberta,” Louis says. Home, for him, is the Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacîs, Alta.
“In the dream, I was walking across the field at my dad’s, looking across the prairies during a winter night.” The blue hues represent the moonlight shining across the prairies during winter, he explains. “At that time, I was asking where my people and my ancestors were, and I was told to look into the sky,” he says. “So the stars represent my ancestors in the sky watching down over us.”
The tipi, stars and moon are woven throughout the collection the sweater belongs to, called Collection One, and pay homage to Louis’s Indigenous identity. And that’s exactly what clothing represents to Louis. “For me, it’s about storytelling. Sharing who I am, where I come from, how I see the world,” Louis says. “It’s a form of true expression and something that allows us to truly be and represent who we are. Our people have been dressing each other for a long time, and I’m just an extension of that.”