Artist Series
2021 Edition
2021 Edition
Five Artists & Five Original Works of Art
Each year, we are honoured with the opportunity to work with some of our favourite Indigenous artists. Every artist creating beautiful, original pieces of art that you can wear with pride.
"The Grandmothers of old are always with us. They knew the land, the plants, and the medicines as they walked on Mother Earth. My wish for you all is that you will remember your grandmothers are always with you as you walk on your life’s path and that we can all rise to stand up for Mother Earth and the future generations.”
Manitobah + Christi Belcourt
Christi Belcourt Tamarack
As floral art enthusiasts and as a company trying to make positive impacts in this world, we are blessed with the opportunity to work with and learn from Christi Belcourt. Christi's work can be found on our packaging, our blanket, and now for the third year in a row our mukluks.
Jamie Okuma is Luiseno, Shoshone-Bannock, Wailaki, and Okinawan who is also an enrolled member of the La Jolla band of Indians in Southern California where she lives and works. Jamie has exhibited her work at the Phoenix Heard Indian market and at the Santa Fe Indian Art Market. She has garnered a total of five Best in Show Awards. One of only two artists to achieve this distinction.
Manitobah + Jamie Okuma
Jamie Okuma Tamarack
For the third consecutive year, Jamie has brought her art and fashion expertise to our mukluks. Jamie specifically requested her earth toned geometric patterns be printed on tan suede, so naturally we created a tan suede Tamarack mukluk just for her.
"Crosses, saltillo diamonds, and stripes. Those are the fundamental designs I think of when it comes to weaving. With a strong textile background that goes back seven generations, I wanted to translate my favourite elements in rugs onto a pair of Mukluks. With Diné, we are taught that everything we do should be done in beauty. Beauty surrounds us, is above us, and below us. When you slip these on, my hope for you is that you may walk in beauty.”
Manitobah + Naiomi Glasses
Naiomi Glasses Tamarack
We have always dreamed of getting a chance to work with Naiomi Glasses, a talented weaver, deadly skateboarder, and undeniably powerful woman. Naiomi brings the beauty of her wool rugs and wraps them around our mukluks. Only 500 pairs created.
"Inspiration for this design came from our ancestors, especially my mother and grandmother. Growing up, my mom provided our family with warm winter clothing such as parkas and mitts. This was a great way for us to express our Inuit identity through our clothing and inspired me to do the same for my family. My grandmother, Lizzie lttinuar creates beautiful traditional beaded amautiks, ones that take up to a year to complete. Her dedication has always inspired me, her work is showcased in art museums around the world."
Manitobah + Victoria's Arctic Fashion
Victoria's Arctic Fashion Tamarack
Our first ever collaboration with V.A.F., and it almost sold out before we could announce it. Victoria Kakuktinniq knows cold even better than we do and her expertise in creating warm yet beautiful apparel shines with the gold florals and framework in this design.
"In my art, I show how both First Nations people and the artistic traditions have evolved, sharing images of animals such as orca whales, wolves, eagles, ravens and hummingbirds - animals often found on the Northwest Coast.
I am a member of the Raven Gwa'wina clan.
Gwa'wina - the raven, fancy feet. You and the raven walk in each other's footsteps, finding joy. This is my vision for your mukluks."
Manitobah + Corrine Hunt
Corrine Hunt Tamarack
It has been nearly a decade since the first time we collaborated with Corrine Hunt, and we continue to be honoured and humbled by each design she creates. We are clearly not the only ones who appreciate Corrine's work and brought back this raven design by popular demand.
Fur: Our natural fur is a by-product of the food industry. We pride ourselves in taking material that is considered 'waste' and utilizing it to make our mukluks and moccasins, just like our ancestors have always done.
Faux Fur: We've engineered our faux fur for optimal durability, while maintaining the warmth and beauty of our traditional fur styles.
To the U.S. and Canada. Some exceptions apply. No end date.
For details, please see our Shipping Guide
Every Manitobah product comes with a certificate of authenticity that outlines the role of Indigenous-owned businesses in Canada’s economic landscape.
The certificate is a reminder that every Manitobah purchase supports an Indigenous-owned business operating in Canada.
Thanks to our incredible global community, Manitobah Mukluks has grown. To achieve this growth we’ve found global partners to help us produce some of our products internationally. I believe this expansion in our production leads to a bigger local impact.
As an Indigenous Canadian, AUTHENTIC to me means being engaged in and contributing to my community. It also means respecting our history while creating positive change for the future. And the best way for me to bring about that change for Indigenous Canadians is to get as many people wearing Manitobah Mukluks as possible.
Our success allows us to work with more local artists, showcase successful Indigenous role models and bring our culture to the world. We also invest in education and employment through our partnership with the Centre for Indigenous Human Resource Development, and I’m particularly proud of our Storyboot project, which helps revive traditional arts in our communities through business-building partnerships with elders and artisans who fashion mukluks and moccasins the traditional way.
Our Walk With Us program is also making a difference by allowing our customers to share in our vision and direct a portion of their sale to the Manitobah program of their choice. It’s simple. For every pair of Manitobah Mukluks sold, we make a bigger impact in our community.
We are proud of our success on the world stage and we welcome the opportunity to compete against all fashion brands. We will continue to make Manitobah more accessible to more people, and we will continue to make footwear using the same high-quality materials and thousand year-old designs that define us — whether it’s a handcrafted Storyboot, Canadian-made item or a mukluk or moccasin produced outside of Canada. I believe that our success as an Indigenous business has been due to our willingness to walk forward while honouring our past.
Thank you for walking with us.
CEO and Founder – Manitobah Mukluks
As soon as is in stock you will be notified.