Designer Victoria Kakuktinniq Talks Teaming With Canada Goose

Canada Goose has partnered with renowned Inuk fashion designer, Victoria Kakuktinniq, on a new collection. Project Atigi (“atigi” meaning “parka” in Inuktitut) is a social entrepreneurship program that honours and celebrates the legacy, craftsmanship and traditions of Inuit women in Canada’s North. As a guest designer, Victoria created three limited-edition outerwear styles, where proceeds will again benefit Inuit communities across Canada through Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national representational organization for Inuit in Canada. We talked with Victoria to learn more. —Noa Nichol

Hello Victoria! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

I have always enjoyed artistic expression through fashion. Growing up in Rankin Inlet, a remote northern Arctic community, I was immersed in Inuit culture. I was inspired to sew by my grandmother, sister and mother who all made parkas and clothes to keep our family warm. I witnessed the strength and talent of the Inuit Women and seamstresses surrounding me and knew from a young age that I wanted to learn to create and design parkas and northern wear just like they did. In Nunavut, you wouldn’t go into a store and buy a factory-made item whenever you needed one. Traditional fabrics, furs and sewing styles are used in most of the garments worn on the land to protect from the harsh elements and being in a remote Arctic climate, there weren’t as many opportunities to be fashion forward. I spent a lot of my time thinking about how the parka design, colours and fabrics could be altered or adjusted to be more ready to wear from city to land. After my first sewing program, I was hooked and knew this was my passion. In 2014, I founded Victoria’s Arctic Fashion (V.A.F.)—a design label fusing my unique interpretation of Inuit traditional parka design using traditional fabrics, furs and skins to create form fitting parkas and signature embroideries with a focus on sustainability. It’s been an incredible venture that has given me the opportunity to honour my cultural traditions and showcase my designs at Paris Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, and Toronto Fashion Week.

Congratulations on your partnership with Canada Goose! How did you hook up with the brand, and what made the project a perfect fit?

I’ve always wanted to be a part of this project. Like my design label, Project Atigi celebrates my heritage, community and craft. This has been such a special collaboration for me. Canada Goose initially reached out for their first Project Atigi in 2018 but I was managing my store in Iqaluit and couldn’t dedicate the right amount of time to take on the project. We stayed in touch and when they reached back out for this third collection, I knew I had to take it.

What is Project Atigi?

“Atigi” is Inuktitut for “parka,” and that’s essentially what Project Atigi is. It’s a social entrepreneurship program designed to use Canada Goose’s incredible platform to honour the original parka makers and to celebrate the legacy, craftsmanship, and traditions of Inuit women like myself, my grandmother, mother and sister.

As a guest designer, what did you create for Canada Goose? Please tell us all about your beautiful creations, what makes them unique and how they proudly represent your background, culture and personal life.

I brought my personal design perspective to this year’s Project Atigi collection, fusing the characteristics of traditional Inuit garments with modern silhouettes. My story comes to life in various ways throughout the three styles—the hoods to the hems to the shapes, tattoo trim and even the colour palette. The tattoo trim is not only my story but the story of my culture and heritage. Inuit have a long history of traditional tattooing. The designs and their meanings vary between people and communities. This specific design represents memorable events in my life, my strength and is a tribute to my parents and daughter, who have always been so supportive. The colour palette is inspired by the Northern Lights. It represents the night sky from my hometown of Rankin Inlet. Colourblocking is also featured on each of the styles—a detail I include in many of my personal designs. The silhouette, cuts and hems were also very important to me, tying back to my culture and traditional designs. As a women’s focused collection, the silhouettes are feminine and flattering. I was raised by powerful, kind, humble and successful women, who have shown great love and passion for our people. These women have supported me through life and inspired me to create a collection that will make women who wear it feel powerful, successful, confident, beautiful and resilient. The pieces are created for year-round pursuits, each with feminine details and flattering shapes. The Kakuktinniq Parka delivers warmth and protection in the harshest conditions, while the Kakuktinniq Down Jacket is a lighter weight piece for versatility across seasons. The Kakuktinniq Jacket is a windproof and water repellent piece for transitional temperatures and ever-changing elements. The latter styles were designed to be layered together for added protection and warmth.

How will your designs benefit Inuit communities across Canada?

Canada Goose is showcasing the extraordinary expertise of Inuit designers and rich heritage of craftsmanship from Canada’s North on a global scale; for me, it is both inspiring and motivating. All the proceeds from the collection go to Inuit communities through Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national Inuit representational organization that works with the four Inuit regions of Inuit Nunangat. It’s a partnership that supports an organization that is personally important to me.

Tough question: among the three designs you created, do you have a favourite that you will be wearing yourself?

My favourite item from the collection is the Kakuktinniq Parka. It follows a traditional silhouette and style that is my signature. I started my career with making Parkas, so it seems fitting that this cut, colour and the trim accents of this piece resonate with me. I feel very proud and excited of this piece.

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