Arthur Milnes
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (May 08/98) - A lot of dreams came true in Fort Simpson last week.

The doors to Nats'enelu, a newly formed venture that designs and manufactures aboriginal- inspired fashions and other items, swung open after months of planning and preparation.

Visitors to Friday's open house could literally feel the excitement in the air.

"It's Dene inspired and locally produced," says general manager, D'Arcy Moses, of the impressive stock now available. "It's the incorporation of Dene traditional methods with modern fashion."

Customers can now purchase traditional moose and cowhide jackets, hunting and leisure accessories, collectible Dene dolls and numerous other products.

Since last fall, Moses, who has gained an international reputation as a fashion designer and who was once named by Maclean's Magazine as a young Canadian to watch, has directed and taught local workers as they prepared for the grand opening. He came North from Montreal and is here for at least 16 months.

In an interview, it's obvious that Moses is proud of all the hard work that has already gone into the business.

"A customer's order has the potential to put people in two or three communities to work," he says. "We have seven full-time staff, two part-time and we have about a dozen home-workers doing piece work."

"We're employing a group of often overlooked people."

And, while Nats'enelu is very traditional, don't think that means the business hasn't charged full-force into the 1990s.

With a Web site already up and running, Moses says the group is shooting for customers, thanks to the Internet, from around North America and across the world.

People from thousands of kilometres away can place regular or custom orders thanks to the Net.

Assistance in getting the project off the ground came from the GWNT's Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, the Anglican Church, Ottawa's Human Resources Development Department and Aurora College.

It is open throughout the week during regular business hours.