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IQALUIT - A pair of shaved sealskin capris - sleek, luxuriant and elegantly-tailored - is just one glimpse into a promising future for the art and industry of fur work in Nunavut.

"We're not only learning about traditional aspects, but to also bring it to today, into the contemporary world," said Karliin Aariak, a student of the Fur Production and Design Program at Nunavut Arctic College.

Students Meeka Kilabuk, left, and Karliin Aariak display some of the stunning fur designs that the Fur Production and Design Program class have created. Women enrolled in the Nunavut Arctic College course showed their work to the community during an open house on Nov. 7. - Carolyn Sloan/NNSL photo

"We do live in a modern society, but really we are also retaining the cultural aspects of the art of the seamstress and what they do is an art in itself."

Aariak was one of six women of various ages who exhibited their fur garments at an open house on Nov. 7.

From a dyed fur cocktail dress to a cropped sealskin jacket, each student presented a unique application of a skill that has long been a cultural tradition in Nunavut.

"They bring such joy to my eyes!" said senior instructor Diane Giroux, describing the women's designs. "I am always amazed by the creativity of my students. I encourage them to push the limits they set themselves, because once you can manage the technical aspects of making a garment, you can let your imagination go."

She said the ultimate goal of the course is to give Inuit women the tools and knowledge to create fur garments that meet the expectations of the fur industry worldwide and at home, both in terms of design and quality of craftsmanship.

The course also includes lessons on how to price and market their products to help the designers develop their own clientele.

"Through the course, we want to help create an industrial standard of clothing for an Arctic industry," said Aariak. "If I would sell something, I want to be able to say it's tailor-made, it has attention to detail. It's expensive, but this is why.

"There are great artists and great seamstresses out there, but we also want to incorporate a market-style garment so that we can have a healthy industry and a healthy economy."

While the garments may seem far removed from the work of their mothers and grandmothers, the students' journey as seamstresses and as artists was rooted in tradition.

The two-year course began with a session taught by Inuit women who are knowledgeable in the traditional ways of working with furs.

As a young woman, Aariak is proud to carry forward a tradition that was often prohibited for her mother's generation.

"I remember in the beginning of the year, it was quite emotional because people who went to residential school were told not to speak Inuktitut or retain their culture," she said. "But here is an institution, an established institution, that recognizes how important the tradition and retaining it is ... and how unique and beautiful it is."

The beauty of this Inuit tradition is something mature student Meeka Kilabuk knows very well.

"I especially appreciate it so much since I lost out in sewing while attending residential school," she said. "It is never too late to learn ... even at a later age."

Since starting the course over a year ago, Kilabuk is proud to have won the Fur Council of Canada's national Fur Design Contest with a stunning coat she created from beaver, sealskin and raccoon.

Now in their second year of the program, the students have a final jacket project to complete before Christmas. They will be selling the jackets for $2,000 to help fundraise for a class trip to the North American Fur and Fashion Exhibition in Montreal. It's an exciting opportunity for the students to learn more about the fur fashion industry and to bring that knowledge back home to Nunavut.

"We each made a jacket and what we would do is sell our jacket for $2,000 flat and that would go towards buying an airplane ticket," said Aariak.