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INUVIK
High fashion was on display in the high Arctic on Saturday.

Great Northern Arts Festival chair Marja van Nieuwenhuyzen models one of her over-dyed, up-cycled sweater creations. - Danielle Sachs/NNSL photo

The Midnight Sun Complex community hall was turned into a catwalk, featuring models showcasing both traditional and contemporary clothing.

Dresses were paired with mukluks and mittens. The parkas caught the glint of blue spotlights that shone down the stage.

Clothing was taken from the Great Northern Arts Festival gallery and shown in its true fashion, although some of the seal skin parkas may have been a little warm for the stage lights.

It wasn't all a feast for the eyes. Cynthia Pitsiulak and Charlotte Qamaniq-Mason stunned visitors and residents with their throatsinging, accompanied by Mathew Nuqingaq on the drum.

"That's the first time I've ever heard anything like that," said Jean Lecuyer.

"I mean, I've heard some recordings but I didn't realize how full and deep it would sound."

Lecuyer said he didn't know much about clothing, but he was impressed that so much of what was on display was handmade and created by people from across the North.

Jen Lam had models strolling through the centre of the room wearing her one-of-a-kind knit creations.

Pitsiulak was one of the models strutting her stuff in between throatsinging songs. She wore one of Lam's sweaters titled Fire and Ice, made from yarn Lam spun herself.

Chantal Cournoyer openly gasped from her seat in the audience when she saw some of the knits, both from Lam and some of the $1,000 qiviut sweaters.

"My mother and grandmother used to knit," she said.

"But I've never seen anything that intricate and detailed."

The fashion show was the last of the nightly entertainment events running since the start of the festival on July 13.

"It wouldn't have been possible without all the volunteers who have dedicated so much time and effort into this," said Sasha Webb, executive director of the festival.

"It's really a special place and so much happens here."

Webb said planning for the next festival begins around October.

"It's the 25th, so it's going to be huge."

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