Designs garner interest at international trade show

ODILE NELSON

Nunavik Creations is poised to sell its clothing to major retailers after its recent success at a Montreal fur trade show, but a U.S. embargo against sealskin could cap its potential.

Designer Vickie Okpik showed off four sealskin jackets for the Makivik subsidiary during the North American Fashion and Fur Exhibition during from May 4 to 7. The business also ran a popular booth.

Austin Greene, the clothing company’s manager, said 5,000 retailers attended the international trade show and hundreds expressed interest in Nunavik Creations’ luxurious Inuit-inspired designs.

The fledgling company is now negotiating a deal with an Albertan retailer to carry the clothing line this fall. It also caught the eye of Mont Tremblant, the Quebec ski resort, which expressed interest in its line of sealskin mitts.

But Greene said a U.S. embargo against sealskin imports could limit any potential deal with the ski resort.

“Mont Tremblant, they are very interested,” Greene said. “But one of the things that comes into play here is Mont Tremblant has a lot of American skiers. They cannot purchase sealskin and bring it into the States. So the company is looking at carrying some for the Canadian tourists and then we’ll do the regular, leather mitts as well.”

The U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act makes it illegal to import seal or any marine mammal products.

Greene said the company is working around the embargo. It is focusing on the European market and continuing to sell strictly leather and fur goods to the U.S.

Teresa Eloy, communication director for the Fur Council of Canada, which organized the trade show, said as long as the U.S. embargo remains in place it will be a barrier to sealskin’s economic success.

The sealskin designs from Nunavik and Nunavut garnered a lot of attention, she said, and she’s hopeful things will change.

“The fur council is lobbying the States to change the embargo against marine mammals to not include seals and we’re making inroads,” she said.

NAFFEM is one of the world’s premier fur trade shows drawing thousands of retailers, primarily from the U.S. It’s also known for attracting animal rights activists.