Nicole Camphaug is an Iqaluit-based Inuk fashion designer from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.[1] She is primarily known for creating sealskin-covered shoes and other contemporary Inuit fashion items under the label ENB Artisan.[2] Camphaug learned to sew at an early age, mostly producing traditional Inuit clothing items like parkas and hats for family and friends.[3] In 2015, she created her first pair of shoes by attaching scrap sealskin to a pair of her old boots.[1][2] When she posted photos of the boots to her Facebook page, the positive response encouraged her to make more, which she began to sell.[2][3]
Camphaug uses commercially-purchased shoes and covers them with sealskin and ornaments made from traditional animal materials like caribou, muskox, and narwhal.[3][4] The pelts are sourced from Labrador.[5]
A pair of Camphaug's heels are held in the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto.[3] ENB Artisan was short-listed for the grade prize of the 2021 Pow Wow Pitch, a competition for Indigenous Canadian entrepreneurs.[4]
References
- ^ a b Ryder, Kassina (July 17, 2017). "Growing A Business". Up Here. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Levy-McLaughlin, Rachel (May 19, 2017). "See how an Inuit designer combines fashion and tradition using sealskin". Canadian Geographic. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d Bowen, Dana (November 5, 2020). "High Heel Seal". Up Here. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Wright, Trevor (August 30, 2021). "Inuit women dominate territorial semifinals of Pow Wow Pitch". Nunavut News. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Nicole Camphaug takes sealskin footwear to new heights". CBC News. July 21, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2021.