A behind-the-scenes look at high fashion

IN 2010, Christian Allaire moved from his home in Nipissing First Nation to Toronto to study journalism at TMU.

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From the Rez to the Runway Out March 25

Obsessed with fashion, he landed gigs at Argyle and Flare before scoring a coveted internship at Vogue in New York. Fifteen years later, he's living in Brooklyn as the magazine's senior fashion and style writer. Allaire's new memoir, From the Rez to the Runway, recounts his tumultuous journey into the world of high fashion. We spoke to him about how powwows introduced him to style and whether Indigenous stories are finally getting the attention they deserve.

You wrote a memoir at 30 years old. That's pretty young, no?

When I was approached about the idea by Janice Zawerbny, an editor at HarperCollins, it sounded crazy. But, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

I wanted to explore how a little rez kid can end up in high fashion-two worlds that are total opposites.

The book opens with a scene at a powwow. Why does that moment stand out?