Dustin Smith

Dustin Smith is an Iñupiaq and Inuvialuk textile artist based in Inuuvik, Inuvialuit Settlement Region, NT. He makes parkas, delta braid and embroidery, small accessories and he does some beadwork.

Smith has always been inspired by his grandmother, who was a seamstress. “I have two parkas my grandmother made hanging up in my sewing room. So whenever I turn around, my grandparents’ parkas are both right there,” he said. [1] He started sewing in 2020, making his first parka around this time. “I picked up a sewing machine out of boredom when COVID hit, and that’s when I really started sewing.” He learned various skills from the people around him: he learned how to embroider from his mother, how to delta braid from his aunt and boss and how to bead from his Inuvialuit teacher.

Currently, Smith likes to make matching parkas for humans and dogs. He made a little muskrat parka for his dog Pearl, which features a wolf sunburst and wolverine trim. Aside from furs, he often uses stroud and commander in his work. “You could do anything with stroud and it would look amazing,” he says. Smith tends to gravitate towards shades of blue, either in the fabric of his parkas or in the embroidered detailing. 

He has participated in fashion shows as a model, including in the Great Northern Arts Festival and the Inuvik Petroleum Show in Inuuvik, both in 2022, as well as the Northern Games Fashion Show in 2024. In the next few years, Smith would like to expand his practice and see his pieces in TV shows or movies.  

This Profile was made possible through support from RBC Emerging Artists.