Nicole Camphaug is a Canadian Inuk fashion and jewellery designer from Nunavut.[1][2] She is primarily known for creating sealskin-covered shoes and other contemporary Inuit fashion items under the label ENB Artisan, which she runs with her husband.[2][3] Camphaug uses commercially purchased shoes and covers them with sealskin and ornaments made from traditional animal materials like caribou, muskox, and narwhal.[4][5] The pelts are sourced from Labrador.[6] She also makes jewellery from bone, tusk, and similar materials.[2]
Camphaug, who is from Rankin Inlet, learned to sew at an early age, mostly producing traditional Inuit clothing items like parkas and hats for family and friends.[1][4] In 2015, she created her first pair of shoes by attaching scrap sealskin to a pair of her old boots.[1][3] When she posted photos of the boots to her Facebook page, the positive response encouraged her to make more, which she began to sell.[3][4] Camphaug has described her work as a means of promoting sealskin products, as well as Inuit culture and fashion.[5][7] In an interview with Up Here, she stated that she enjoyed making high heels and dress shoes in particular because it provides a way to wear sealskin outside the winter season without being too warm.[8]
A pair of Camphaug's heels are held in the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto.[4] In 2016, a pair of high heels by Camphaug were featured in Floe Edge, an exhibition of Inuit art and design by Quebec art collective Axe Néo-7.[7] In 2019, Camphaug provided accessories for outfits at the Upingaksaaq Fashion Show in Iqaluit, which featured Inuit designers.[9][10] ENB Artisan was short-listed for the grand prize of the 2021 Pow Wow Pitch, a competition for Indigenous Canadian entrepreneurs.[5]
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