Shane Kejick is the co-founder and creative force behind NEECHI By Nature, an Indigenous-owned fashion and art brand based in Toronto. The label focuses on urban Indigenous culture meets bold streetwear and high-fashion design neechibynature.com. Kejick and his team design men’s and gender-neutral apparel that prominently feature Indigenous Ojibwe motifs and syllabics, blending traditional elements with contemporary style thevarsity.ca. The brand’s name “Neechi” is slang for “friend” or “sibling” in Ojibwe, reflecting a community-centric ethos. NEECHI By Nature has been described as an athleisure and wearable art brand that brings Indigenous culture to the forefront of fashion thevarsity.catofashionistas.com.

NEECHI By Nature has quickly gained recognition in Canada’s fashion scene. In Spring 2024, Kejick debuted a collection titled “From The Rez To The Streets” at Fashion Art Toronto’s 1664 Fashion Week, one of the country’s leading showcases for emerging designers instagram.com. This collection was a wearable collection of individual art pieces, reflecting Kejick’s Anishinaabe heritage and channeling his background in digital art and design tofashionistas.com. The show’s highlights noted “wearable art pieces by Indigenous designer Shane Kejick of NEECHI BY NATURE, reflecting his Anishinaabe heritage.”tofashionistas.com The brand’s runway presentation – which even incorporated a Fancy Dancer in traditional regalia – was praised as a standout moment of the event, merging cultural storytelling with contemporary fashion. Kejick’s work under NEECHI By Nature has also been showcased at other events, such as an Indigenous Regalia & Fashion Show at Hart House, University of Toronto, in late 2023 facebook.com. At that show, NEECHI By Nature was noted for its use of Ojibwe syllabics and motifs in streetwear designs thevarsity.ca, reinforcing how the brand celebrates Indigenous identity through fashion.

Kejick’s leadership with NEECHI By Nature earned him a spot on the 2024 CAFA NewGen List, highlighting top up-and-coming Canadian creatives in fashion. He was listed as “Shane Kejick of Neechi By Nature – Creative/Artistic Director and Producer, Digital Artist/Digital Fashion Creator, Fashion Stylist and Graphic Artist/Photographer.”thekit.ca This recognition underscores his multifaceted role in the brand: beyond designing apparel, he directs creative content (photography, styling) and produces digital art/fashion visuals for the label. In March 2025, Kejick and NEECHI By Nature were featured in the Great Spirit Fashion Show on Manitoulin Island, alongside other Indigenous designers. There, he presented his latest creations on the runway, standing with his models in a showcase of Indigenous streetwear manitoulin.commanitoulin.com. This event, hosted by the Taanakamik collective, demonstrated the growing reach of NEECHI By Nature beyond the city and into broader Indigenous communities.

Other Creative Projects and Collaborations

Shane Kejick’s artistic pursuits extend well beyond fashion design. He is a multidisciplinary artist who has explored music, film, and community arts, often weaving these experiences back into his design work instagram.com.

Before focusing on fashion, Kejick was active as an independent hip-hop artist under the moniker “Project Toombz.” In the mid-2010s, based in Montreal, he launched this solo music project after performing with a group called Northern Collection rebelbeatradio.com. His music addresses themes of Indigeneity, social issues, and resilience. In 2015, he was featured on The Rebel Beat podcast (CKUT Montréal) to discuss the crafting of his album Nomad. Introduced as “Shane Kelsey aka Project Toombz”, he was noted as an Indigenous hip-hop artist and activist who was crowdfunding his first full-length album rebelbeatradio.com. Nomad was eventually released in 2017 under Babaa-Ayaa Productions open.spotify.com (see below). Tracks like “Caught in the Middle” and “Don’t Stress” showcased his lyrical focus on Indigenous identity and struggles rebelbeatradio.com. This musical background informs Kejick’s fashion work; as one description noted, he “channels his talents in hip hop music… into fashion, bringing a powerful and authentic voice to the runway.”instagram.com

Kejick is a co-founder and director of Babaa-Ayaa Productions, a Toronto-based Indigenous non-profit media production company twitter.comfacebook.com. Founded around 2017, Babaa-Ayaa (an Ojibwe phrase meaning roughly “to wander”) focuses on developing and publishing work by emerging Indigenous artists in music and film. Under this banner, Kejick produced his Nomad music project and helped other artists launch their content. Babaa-Ayaa is described as “Indigenous founded and operated… focusing on developing emerging Indigenous artists”twitter.com. The company has been involved in organizing community events and producing music videos and short films. (For example, Kejick’s own music videos were released via Babaa-Ayaa, and he has served as a music producer and filmmaker for projects under this organization.) His dual role as co-founder of both Babaa-Ayaa Productions and NEECHI By Nature underscores his dedication to creating platforms for Indigenous creativity in multiple mediumsfacebook.com.

Shane Kejick has written and directed short films, often highlighting Indigenous stories. Notably, he directed a short film titled “Giibweatoo (Run Home)”, which was showcased in the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival 2020 (hosted by Simon Fraser University) sfu.ca. Giibweatoo (Run Home), directed by Kejick (credited as Shane Kelsey), was featured in the festival’s program of Indigenous filmmakers from across Canada sfu.ca. This indicates his involvement in the independent film scene, using cinema to explore narratives from an Anishinaabe perspective. Additionally, Kejick has worked on documentaries and other video projects; for instance, he has been credited as a director/producer on music videos and short films through Babaa-Ayaa Productions. His filmmaking experience complements his fashion storytelling – both endeavors involve visualizing Indigenous experiences in modern contexts.

Kejick’s repertoire also includes visual art and curation. In late 2021, he participated in curating an art installation at the University of Toronto’s First Nations House, where he previously studied and worked. As part of Indigenous Education Week 2021, First Nations House launched “Reclaiming: A Landback Installation” on campus, and Kejick helped conceive and curate this exhibition thevarsity.ca. In correspondence with UofT’s The Varsity newspaper, Shane Kelsey (Kejick) discussed the curation process of the event, explaining how the installation was meant to reclaim space and assert Indigenous presence on campus thevarsity.ca. This project exemplifies his commitment to community art: it wasn’t commercial or fashion-oriented, but rather a cultural and educational installation. The skills he applied – visual storytelling, event production, and Indigenous perspective – are the same ones evident in his fashion shows and multimedia productions.

Media Coverage and Recognition

Shane Kejick’s multifaceted work has been recognized in various media outlets and press features:

Kejick’s NEECHI By Nature label has been highlighted by fashion media for its unique vision. Aside from the 2024 CAFA NewGen List mention thekit.ca, blogTO (a Toronto culture publication) previewed his runway show, billing him as “Indigenous designer Shane Kejick of NEECHI BY NATURE” who would present a collection of wearable art pieces at Fashion Art Toronto blogto.com. To Fashionistas magazine’s recap of Fashion Art Toronto Spring 2024 praised his collection for reflecting his heritage in a modern way tofashionistas.com. Earlier, in March 2023, The Varsity covered the Indigenous Regalia and Fashion Show at UofT and described NEECHI By Nature as “an athleisure brand that features Indigenous syllabics and motifs on their clothing”thevarsity.ca. All these pieces underscore the media’s interest in how Kejick marries culture with fashion.

Kejick’s work in music earned him media interviews in the past. In addition to the Rebel Beat podcast interview in 2015 rebelbeatradio.com, he has appeared on community radio and online interviews discussing Indigenous hip-hop and art. For example, Rebel Beat Radio introduced him in detail, noting his activism and work at a homeless shelter alongside his music – a testament to his community involvement rebelbeatradio.com. As his focus shifted to fashion, newer interviews are often embedded in event coverage or social media takeovers. (In 2023, he did an Instagram Live interview as part of Toronto’s Indigenous Fashion Week programming, and he’s been quoted in articles about Indigenous streetwear.) While full-length print interviews with Kejick are rare, his voice comes through in the way events and collaborators quote him in coverage.

Local news outlets have featured Kejick when covering Indigenous arts events. The Manitoulin Expositor article from March 2025, “Indigenous fashion designers showcase their creations at the Manitoulin Hotel,” is a prime example manitoulin.com. It reported on a fashion show that included Kejick’s NEECHI By Nature line, acknowledging him as one of the “talented Indigenous fashionistas” and including a photograph of him with his models manitoulin.commanitoulin.com. Such coverage illustrates how Kejick’s influence is spreading into Indigenous communities and not just urban fashion circles. Additionally, Kejick’s artistic contributions have been noted in university news (for his work at First Nations House) and community newsletters focusing on Indigenous entrepreneurs.