Victoria Kakuktinniq
![Refer to caption](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Modern_women%27s_parka_by_Victoria_Kakuktinniq%2C_2021.jpg/220px-Modern_women%27s_parka_by_Victoria_Kakuktinniq%2C_2021.jpg)
Victoria Kakuktinniq (born 1989) is a Canadian Inuk fashion designer from Nunavut.[1][2] Under her label Victoria's Arctic Fashion, Kakuktinniq hand-stitches clothing such as parkas, kamiit (winter boots), and other accessories.[3] Her work has been described as a major influence in contemporary Inuit fashion.[4][5] Kakuktinniq has described her work as a means of preserving Inuit traditional skills of sewing and clothing production, which has historically been a significant aspect of Inuit culture.[3][6][7]
Kakuktinniq works in a combination of modern and traditional materials, including leather, sealskin, and fox fur.[8][9] Her parkas incorporate elements of traditional Inuit clothing, drawing in particular from the amauti, a woman's overcoat with a curved hem and voluminous hood.[1][10] Modern elements include asymmetrical zippers, corset-style lacing, and colour-blocking.[9]
Kakuktinniq, who is from Rankin Inlet, began designing parkas in 2012 after completing Miqqut, a cultural literacy program from Ilitaqsiniq (Nunavut Literacy Council), in which Inuit elders teach sewing skills to younger participants.[1][10][11][12] She graduated from the fashion design program at MC College in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 2013 and began selling designs at trade shows and using social media.[6][13] In 2015 her label was named Business of the Year at the Nunavut Trade Show & Conference.[14] She opened her first shop in Iqaluit in 2017.[11][15]
Kakuktinniq has showcased designs at numerous fashion shows in Canada and abroad. Her first major show was What to Wear in the Winter at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (2015).[16] She presented a Spring/Summer collection at International Indigenous Fashion Week, a feature event at Paris Fashion Week (2019). Kakuktinniq collaborated with other Inuit designers who provided jewellery, accessories, and footwear for her outfits.[5][17][18] Later that year, Kakuktinniq co-produced Upingaksaaq Fashion Show in Iqaluit, which featured Inuit designers.[19] In 2020, she presented a Fall/Winter collection at New York Fashion Week.[18] She was one of five artists chosen to design a pair of mukuks for the Manitobah Mukluks 2021 Artist Series.[20]
In 2022, Kakuktinnniq partnered with winterwear brand Canada Goose on a capsule collection for the third iteration of Project Atigi, their collaboration line with national Inuit organization Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.[21] The advertising campaign for the collection featured Inuit women as models: throat singer Shina Novalinga, actress Marika Sila and model Willow Allen.[21] Parkas from this collection were displayed at Iqaluit Airport in July 2022 for an exhibit curated by the Culture and Heritage department of the Government of Nunavut.[22]
See also
- Nicole Camphaug, an Inuk designer who works with sealskin
- First Nations fashion
References
- ^ a b c Vorano, Norman (November 22, 2017). "30 Artists to Know: Victoria Kakuktinniq". Inuit Art Foundation. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "10 Indigenous Fashion Designers to Know". Elle Canada. June 4, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Turner, Randy (December 16, 2016). "The WAG's Inuit Art Centre will be about people, not just things they create". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ Rogers, Sarah (March 27, 2019). "Nunavut fashion and design come into their own". Nunatsiaq News. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b MacInnis, Tara (April 10, 2019). "The creator of Toronto's Indigenous Fashion Week chooses 5 designers to watch". CBC. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ a b Rogers, Sarah (February 3, 2014). "Northern Lights conference puts young designer's work in the limelight". Nunatsiaq News. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Kassam, Ashifa (May 11, 2017). "'It's our way of life': Inuit designers are reclaiming the tarnished sealskin trade". The Guardian. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Georgijevic, Anya (November 5, 2018). "Is fur falling out of fashion?". Elle Canada. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Folger, Napatsi (March 15, 2020). "The New Arctic Cool: 5 Designers to Watch". Inuit Art Quarterly. Retrieved December 1, 2021 – via PressReader.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Brown, Beth (February 28, 2018). "This Iqaluit-Based Designer Can Hand-Make a Luxe Parka in 2.5 Hours". Flare. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ a b LeTourneau, Michele (April 25, 2019). "Designers Attagutsiak and Kakuktinniq bring it home". Nunavut News. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Nunavut Literacy Council wins $20K award for Miqqut Project". CBC News. August 28, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
- ^ Reynolds, Christina (January 2, 2014). "Elle World: Sewing, culture and traditions in Nunavut". Elle Canada. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Zerehi, Sima Sahar (September 19, 2016). "25th annual Nunavut trade show and conference opens in Iqaluit". CBC News. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
- ^ Greer, Darrell (November 21, 2017). "A fashionable grand opening". Nunavut News. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Tamoto, Connie (September 19, 2015). "Fur, teeth and antlers hallmarks of Inuit fashion". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ LeTourneau, Michele (February 14, 2019). "Around Nunavut: Victoria's Arctic Fashion hits the Paris runways". NNSL Media. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b McKay, Jackie (January 8, 2020). "Victoria's Arctic Fashion gearing up for New York Fashion Week". CBC News. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ Driscoll, Kent (April 23, 2019). "Nunavut fashion show in Iqaluit by Inuit, for Inuit". APTN News. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Manitobah Mukluks Releases 2021 Artist Series". Native Max. December 14, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ^ a b Cardin-Goyer, Camille (February 2022). "Reclaiming Their Culture". Elle Canada. p. 70.
- ^ Howitt, Madalyn (July 28, 2022). "New exhibit at Iqaluit airport celebrates Nunavut seamstresses". Nunatsiaq News. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
External links
- Official website
- Victoria's Arctic Fashion on Instagram
- Victoria Kakuktinniq profile from Inuit Art Foundation
- CBC Radio interview with Victoria Kakuktinniq, 2019