Victoria Kakuktinniq facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Victoria Kakuktinniq
Modern women's parka by Victoria Kakuktinniq, 2021. The body is synthetic waterproof fabric, with silver fox fur trim on the hood and sealskin trim on the hem and cuffs. The curved hem is typical of the traditional amauti.
Born	1989 (age 35–36) Rankin Inlet

Victoria Kakuktinniq, born in 1989, is a talented fashion designer from Nunavut, Canada. She is an Inuk artist, meaning she belongs to the Indigenous people of the Arctic. Her clothing brand is called Victoria's Arctic Fashion. Victoria creates beautiful handmade clothes like warm parkas, traditional winter boots called kamiit, and other cool accessories.

Many people say her designs have greatly influenced contemporary Inuit fashion. Victoria sees her work as a way to keep Inuit traditional skills alive. These skills include sewing and making clothes, which have always been very important in Inuit culture. She especially believes that handmade fur clothes are a great example of sustainable fashion, which means making clothes in a way that is good for the planet.

What Makes Her Designs Special?

Victoria Kakuktinniq uses a mix of old and new materials in her designs. She works with traditional materials like leather, sealskin, and fox fur. She also uses modern fabrics.

Blending Old and New Styles

Her parkas often include parts of traditional Inuit clothing. For example, she gets ideas from the amauti. This is a special overcoat worn by Inuit women, known for its curved bottom edge and large hood. Victoria adds modern touches to her designs too. These include zippers that are not straight, lacing that looks like a corset, and using different blocks of color together.

How Victoria Started Her Fashion Journey

Victoria Kakuktinniq is from Rankin Inlet. She began designing parkas in 2012. Before that, she took part in a program called Miqqut. This program, run by Ilitaqsiniq (Nunavut Literacy Council), teaches sewing skills. In this program, Inuit elders share their knowledge with younger people.

Learning and Growing

In 2013, Victoria finished her fashion design studies at MC College in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After graduating, she started selling her designs at trade shows. She also used social media to show her work to more people. Her hard work paid off! In 2015, her brand was named Business of the Year at the Nunavut Trade Show & Conference. She opened her very first shop in Iqaluit in 2017.

Showcasing Her Work Around the World

Victoria Kakuktinniq has shown her amazing designs at many fashion shows. These shows have been in Canada and other countries.

Major Fashion Events

• Her first big show was called "What to Wear in the Winter." It took place at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2015.
• In 2019, she presented a Spring/Summer collection at International Indigenous Fashion Week. This was a special event during Paris Fashion Week. For this show, other Inuit designers helped by providing jewelry, accessories, and shoes for her outfits.
• Later in 2019, Victoria helped organize the Upingaksaaq Fashion Show in Iqaluit. This show featured many talented Inuit designers.
• In 2020, she showed her Fall/Winter collection at New York Fashion Week (NYFW).
• She was one of five artists chosen to design a pair of mukluks for the Manitobah Mukluks 2021 Artist Series.

Collaborations and Recent Shows

In 2022, Victoria worked with the well-known winterwear brand Canada Goose. They created a special collection together for Project Atigi. This project is a partnership with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, a national Inuit organization. Victoria had been asked to join the first Project Atigi, but she chose to focus on her shop in Iqaluit instead.

The advertisements for this collection featured Inuit women as models. These included throat singer Shina Novalinga, actress Marika Sila, and model Willow Allen. Parkas from this collection were shown at Iqaluit Airport in July 2022. This display was part of an exhibit put together by the Government of Nunavut's Culture and Heritage department.

Victoria also presented her designs at NYFW in February 2024. In May 2024, she showcased her work at the first-ever SWAIA Native Fashion Week. This event was organized by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. In August 2024, she returned to Rankin Inlet for her first show there since at least 2017.

See also

• Nicole Camphaug, an Inuk designer who works with sealskin
• First Nations fashion