about
Inuvialuk & Gwich’in Fashion Designer, Artist, Cultural Educator, Content Creator and Speaker, Taalrumiq educates and engages a global audience from an authentic perspective ensuring accurate and diverse representation. Born in a segregated Indian hospital to an Inuvialuk (Inuit) mom and Gwich’in (Dene) dad, she was gifted her great-grandmother’s name at birth by local Elders, grew up on the shores of the arctic ocean in the small Inuit hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk with her Inuvialuit community. A graduate the University of Alberta, she studied art, design, fashion and secondary education. Like her long matrilineal line of expert Inuit Seamstresses and Gwich’in Jijuus, Taalrumiq creates with the same passion, skills and materials as her ancestors, true to her contemporary vision and bold colour palettes. Her work appeared on national runways, in various galleries, publications, private and corporate collections. She lives on unceded Tshimshian territory in northern BC with her family.
artist statement
I create pieces that tell a story, to educate, inspire, and celebrate Indigenous identity. Using a blend of traditional materials collected and harvested by myself, my family and community along with contemporary post fur trade era materials including metallic finishes, sequins and upcycled materials, I reclaim my culture with each new creation. Engaging traditional and new techniques, at the same time learning, growing and documenting contemporary Inuvialuit and Gwich’in ways of being, I’m guided by ancestral wisdom, blood memory, intuition, and technical training. I hope to contribute to our existing knowledge base of Inuvialuit and Gwich’in material culture, encourage our youth to pursue their highest potential, foster conversation around important issues, and contribute to authentic and accurate representation through my work.