My Story
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As early as I can remember my life has been filled with family, food and art. Some of my earliest memories of my Great Grandmother are of her pies and bangs (fry bread). Rhubarb specifically, and this jam she would give us to slather on the bangs. I had no idea the songs she sang were in Cree when I was younger, as an adult now learning Cree and Michif I recognize some of the words now. I remember my uncles playing fiddle, guitar and spoons around the fire and at our family gatherings and was fortunate to be surrounded by family who taught me skills such as foraging, fishing and gardening. She (Great Grandma) was our families Matriarch, in every sense of the word. When she left us, there was a void, that as a family we have slowly begun to replace with the rise of the other wonderful and strong women in our family. I am fortunate enough to have a family that supports my endeavors and has taught me incredible life skills and self sufficiency. I draw my inspiration from my family and the natural world. There is beauty all around us and it often goes unnoticed. I've been creating art since a young age and the passion for it continued into adult hood when I graduated with Bachelor of Design from ACAD (Alberta University of the Arts). I began my pursuit of traditional craft around that time when I made my first rawhide drum, it still hangs in my office. My first dog, Keet'ha, was my inspiration to begin learning embroidery and what a tuppie was. She was so much more than a dog and inspired me to overcome my disability and step out into the world. She allowed me to participate in events in the community than would have otherwise been inaccessible to me. She was what got me into kick sledding. Her tuppie was going to be finished but after her passing in the summer of 2026 I have been unable to continue it. I have since gained skills in beadwork, quillwork, tufting, jewellery making and leatherworking. The birth of my son saw me learning how to make dreamcatchers as well. My career as a graphic design began in my second year and have been practicing 13 years now. Learning traditional skills has allowed me to merge the two passions and go on to create digital beadwork, quillwork, embroidery and ledger art. While I still do traditional mediums such as charcoal, pencil, water colour, gouache, and acrylic I found making floral designs digitally to be incredibly fulfilling. You'll find the bulk of my floral work done digitally and animals done traditionally. I became incredibly ill in my mid 30's and had to take time to recover. I was fortunate in that time to work with an incredible company under an absolutely remarkable manager who was compassionate and gave me back my drive to work. We actually went to ACAD together and I remember her even then encouraging me to keep going even if it felt impossibly hard. In that time I reacquainted myself with gouache and embroidery. It sparked something that had been lost during my illness. I began to enjoy art and design again. Wolf + Aster Inc. I began this company as a platform to showcase my art and bring Indigenous artwork to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous folx. As a culture and community we have begun the process of awakening just like Riel said we would. Sharing our rich culture with the world is something than brings me great joy. I've always believed art and design should be accessible to all, it has always bothered me how products are often priced in a way that it limits people from enjoying them. I strive to price products in a way that allows me to support my family with my art but also making it accessible to everyone that enjoys it. When I began to flesh out the company there were certain things I wanted, needed, to make sure my company would do. Wolf + Aster Inc. was going to be a company that did things a little different. Inclusivity | I try to source products that allow all shapes and sizes, and not separate them by specific gender roles. This is why I have chosen to divide things between Femme and Masc, and make a point of selecting garments with a wide size range. Allowing everyone to feel comfortable in their choices is important. Sourcing | While it can be complicated in Canada to find suppliers I do my best to keep what I can in Canada to keep it local and reduce as much of a carbon footprint as I can, it often means prices can't be as low as I would like but it means it's local to the country. Our fabric specifically, is printed in Canada rather than being important from overseas! I've chosen a supplier that uses reactive inks to give vibrant and bright colours, the reactive ink process uses less water and produces less waste as well. Our DTF are printed in Canada as well! AI | Part of sharing art and culture means I also refuse to use any sort of generative AI in my work. It is an insult to artists and designers and a betrayal to my culture of being connected to the land and community to use something that is so catastrophically destructive to the planet and uses pirated artists work. There is never a reason to use it, in any context. Wolf + Aster will never use gen AI in any of the process, including photography and copywriting. The hardest part about this is many platforms insist on integrating it into everything and sometimes I miss the little check mark to disable it. Please always reach out and let me know if something has snuck through. I hope to once again participate in Indigenous fashion shows and showcase my design skills once the company has found it's centre, Attending and participating in them is a wonderful experience and has allowed me to forge incredible friendships. I'm so very excited for what the future holds for Wolf + Aster and I hope you have a beautiful day <3 -Victoria PS: bonus pictures of my late Keet'ha and menace Kot'ha. |
My name is Victoria Scattergood, I am a Metis mother living in Treaty 6 territory. I am part of the MNA (Metis Nation of Alberta), my maternal family have been registered members for generations now, including my own son. We have several Metis families among our Paternal and Maternal ancestors; Swain, La Framboise, Trottier, Whiteford, Bottineau, Pritchard and Landry. 
