The Great Northern Arts Festival’s 26th annual fashion show delighted the crowd with unique art and fashion alongside a special performance by sister singing duo PIQSIQ on Friday night in Inuvik.
Hailey Verbonac was one of the event organizers.
He said the theme of this year’s show built on the overall theme of the 2025 festival: Tales of the Taiga: Storytelling from the Boreal Forest.
The Taiga refers to the Earth’s largest land biome, which is characterized by coniferous forests found in cold, sub-Arctic regions.
Verbonac told Cabin Radio that while Friday evening’s event did not restrict what art could be included in the show, he was “trying to get stories about the clothing” that could be “woven into the show.”
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Verbonac said there were around eight to 10 artists who donated pieces to the fashion show. That included both local and visiting artists.
Many outfits were made by combining art pieces from multiple artists.
“I hope that people are able to appreciate and see the artistry put before them, and see the time and effort it takes to make these pieces, to conceive of these pieces, the birthing process of a piece of art,” said Verbonac.
“And have it be shown to a crowd in a real spectacular fashion.”
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This year’s show featured a powerful throat singing performance by PIQSIQ, made up of Inuksuk Mackay and Tiffany Ayalik.
Verbonac said this is the first time in the fashion show’s history that models walked the catwalk to live music.
“We’re very excited for that,” he said.
You can find a video of the fashion show on the Inuvialuit Communication Society’s Facebook page.
