Derek Neary
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (Sep 10/99) - It was New York meets the Deh Cho.

A fashion show was held in Fort Simpson Saturday night to give a visiting representative from a well-known American designer a look at some of the Dene-style clothing produced by Nats'enelu and local garment makers.

In return, Bonnie Young, director of inspiration and sourcing for design for the Donna Karan label, brought some evening wear she had designed.

Young, who also visited Fort Providence, Holman Island and Yellowknife, was in the North on a 10-day trip to "find inspiration" for the Donna Karan collection, known for its DKNY line. The items she purchased from Nats'enelu would go on display at the DKNY store on Madison Avenue in New York, she said.

As it turns out, Young purchased "a couple thousand dollars worth" of merchandise for Nats'enelu, according to director and designer D'Arcy Moses. He said it would mark the first time that Nats'enelu's products ever went on display outside of Canada.

"They're talking about ordering some of our pull-overs that we can sell in one of their outlets," he added. "So, in the end, it might turn out really good."

Asked if the Dene-style clothing would be seen on international catwalks over the next year, Young simply responded, "Maybe."

Although Nats'enelu won't be directly recognized or credited for the display items in the New York store, Young said the products will be identified as "Dene." Moses said Nats'enelu still stands to benefit greatly due to potential future orders.

"It's rare that you have this calibre of industry tradespeople in somewhere like the Deh Cho. That kind of exposure in those kinds of circles is really phenomenal," he said. "For example, her assistant bought a moosehide jacket. Well, he works with the best magazines all over the globe and he took a bunch of business cards -- just the exposure from that alone could open doors."