When you live somewhere that has a cold winter, fashion tends to take a backseat in the winter. And by cold, I mean truly cold- weeks or even months below -20C and snow. When you potentially may have frostbite in 5-10 minutes with uncovered skin, you have different priorities. However, the Bata Shoe Museum’s exhibition, Art and Innovation, looked at different designs used by Arctic populations. By using different materials, these populations are able to stay warm and express their cultural identities. And luckily for me, there weren’t just shoes included! Today’s history bite is looking at this reindeer skin snowsuit!
Using Fur and Leather
I know that fur and leather are fairly controversial materials in the fashion world. However, as someone who lives somewhere that routinely reaches -40C (in actual temperature, not windchill), these materials do a much better job of keeping you warm. I do have technical fibres/materials also, but those still don’t do as good a job of keeping me warm. I don’t advocate using them wildly for no apparent reason and it isn’t necessary a lot of the time, but they do serve a purpose, and as we will see with this suit, they can be invaluable.
Children’s Reindeer Skin Snowsuit
Unlike a lot of snowsuits made today, this is a one piece snowsuit- this is done for warmth. (I can attest- the more openings there are, the more wind and cold can get in.) According to the exhibition, “The legs are made using two layers of reindeer skin; an inner layer with the reindeer fur facing in and an outer layer with the hair facing out. An interesting aspect of this ‘onesie’ is the way the sleeves are constructed. THe end of each sleeve is sewn shut for warmth, with only a small slit that allows the child’s hands to be extended.”
This reindeer skin snowsuit was made in 1988, so it’s a relatively modern design. I appreciate that their culture plays such a large role in both the design and function of their clothing!
If you want to see more Arctic footwear and fashion, you can visit my post here!
Would you wear a reindeer skin snowsuit? (As someone currently dealing with frigid temps, it does appeal…)
Cheers,
The Historian
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