Siaja (Anna Lambe) wearing a fringe jacket purchased on Poshmark in an episode of North of North.jasper savage/CBC/APTN/Netflix
When artist Geneva Noble was commissioned to design a piece for a new TV series, her major concern was that she had run out of seal skin.
You don’t just pick some up at your local store. Seal skins are a product of traditional practices. First, a hunter catches the seal, which is then peeled to separate the skin from the body. The skin then undergoes a preparation process that can take several weeks to months, depending on the method and the intended use.
Noble turned to her community in Iqaluit for help. She borrowed a seal skin from a friend, one that was already stretched and dried. She then took it home to work it, bending, scraping and stomping on it until it was soft and flexible.
Once the skin was ready, she began making a pair of kamiks, or seal boots, for North of North, a CBC, APTN and Netflix comedy series.
The show, which premiered in January on CBC Gem, follows Siaja, a young Inuk mother trying to reinvent her life after a public exit from her marriage in the fictional Arctic town of Ice Cove. Inuit life and culture are at the centre of the show, shot in Iqaluit, right down to the costume choices.
Artists and builders in Nunavut, Winnipeg, Alaska and across the Arctic craft the silk furs, parkas and colourful beaded earrings featured on screen.
To curate the wardrobe, Emmy Award-winning designer Debra Hanson (Schitt’s Creek) worked with local Inuk artist Keenan (Nooks) Lindell, who contacted Noble among other artists.
Hanson has a personal connection with the North. Ann Meekitjuk Hanson, author, former commissioner of Nunavut and member of the Order of Canada, is her cousin-in-law.
Parka worn by Siaja (Anna Lambe) is customized by the wardrobe team, hat and mittens by Nancy Mike and yellow hood fur from Hinaani by Nooks Lindell.jasper savage/CBC/APTN/Netflix
“I had a certain trepidation and nervousness because I didn’t want to disappoint my family,” Hanson said about working on the show.
But the cast and crew received incredible support from the community in Iqaluit with some members lending their clothing for filming, Hanson said.
Lindell spent much of his time researching and gathering photos of homemade pieces to help the costume team understand Inuit attire.
“There hasn’t been a show where it’s showing Inuit in modern time. I felt that being in this role, I have to step up and make sure we’re doing a good job,” Lindell said.
Inuit culture is diverse. The different regions within Nunavut alone have their own clothing styles, Lindell said. Since Ice Cove is a fictional town, producers wanted to showcase a variety of styles.
Clothing plays an important role in Inuit culture. To survive the harsh weathers of the Arctic, Inuit use seal skin to make parkas, kamiks and mittens. Patterns, shapes and embellishment of the clothing also serve as a marker of social identity.
Kamiks (seal boots) by Geneva Noble worn by Siaja (Anna Lambe).jasper savage/CBC/APTN/Netflix
“You would never really boast about yourself, but you would do it through how well you were dressed, how well your children were dressed,” Lindell said.
It took Noble seven days to make the pair of kamiks, her fastest time yet. She used bearded seal skin to make the sole because of its toughness.
Elisapee Nowdluk, Noble’s mom, made the duffel socks worn with the boots. “I don’t do embroidery yet. That’s something I have yet to learn,” Noble said.
The kamiks had to be stored in the freezer when they were not being used on set to prevent them from drying out.
Working on the show was monumental for Noble. “It was really awesome to make a pair of kamiks for a TV show that’s relevant to our culture,” she said. “I know everyone was really excited to watch next week’s episode as soon as the other one is finished.”
Part of the show’s charm lies in how seamlessly it blends the traditional and the modern. Hanson pushed the boundaries of what’s expected of Inuit fashion by reinterpreting traditional styles, experimenting with fabrics and challenging stereotypes associated with Indigenous clothing.
“I have to say the actors were brave because I did some unusual things,” Hanson said.
Siaja (Anna Lambe) wore a sparkling fringe jacket that symbolized her stepping out of the norms by leaving her marriage and reinventing herself.
The costume team encountered its fair share of challenges. For a stunt scene in the water, the team had to purchase non-traditional parkas owing to safety precautions and time constraints. Since traditional materials such as wool would become too heavy underwater, modifications were necessary to ensure safety, including designing an easy-to-remove coat.
Lindell and Noble made a pair of kamiks for Tanya Tagaq, who played the mythological sea goddess Nuliajuk, but had to use replicates since the water would ruin the original.
Hanson said the show gave her a new sense of admiration and understanding of Inuit culture.
“There were many difficulties in filming in the North, we overcame them. The joy of it is what I’m left with,” she said.