AFN Coverage

Photos: AFN fashion

The Alaska Federation of Natives Convention isn't just a place to talk about business or politics -- it's a place to catch up with the latest fashions.

Wander through the halls and you'll see everything from button vests and fur parkas to beaded moose skin vests and furry mukluks. Accessories and garments of all kinds are available, with styles from the North Slope to Southeast.

Seamstress Nita Rearden sells all kinds of kuspuks, from silky short prints to more traditional calico prints with rickrack ribbon trims. She said at AFN all kinds of fashions are recognized and celebrated.

"I think people just want to be recognized as Alaskan or the region they're from," Rearden said of all the different clothing styles. "It makes you feel like you're part of a special occasion."

Letha Chimegalrea Simon designs kuspuks at Qaspeq.com (the Yup'ik spelling of kuspuk). She said over the last 10 years she's noticed that more and more people wear the garments at AFN and in everyday life. As result, the fashions have changed slightly, with sheer and short kuspuks a common item for sale during the convention.

But she said even as the fashions have changed, key elements have remained the same, creating a kind of common language people can share, no matter where they're from.

"It draws all the different cultures together," she said of the fashion at the convention. "It makes us all aware of one another."

ADVERTISEMENT