ON & BEYOND

Aside from the aboriginal artists performing their handcraft, the Manitobah Mukluks company also has a manufacturing HQ in the outskirts of downtown Winnipeg. The building houses the company’s management team and shoe-makers. It is an odd feeling to be so patriotic, but boy do I feel proud to say that Manitobah is 100% Canadian made. Manitobah Mukluks seems to have found the perfect formula in making The Ultimate Canadian boot; with the upper being a tribute to the Canadian Aborignal boot and the bottom being a true testament to weatherproof technical footwear, it is obvious to say that this boot will be warm and ideal to face Canadian winters. That’s right, they’ve incorporated vibram soles to their mukluks, something you don’t see from other “moc-makers”.

One of the highlights of our visit was meeting the employees manning the sewing machines in the factory. There was such a minute attention to every little task they performed, that their pride in working for such a community invested company was more than evident…

I wanna thank Sean for having us in Winnipeg and sharing a very personal side of his company with us. This was easily one of the most eye-opening trips I’ve had the pleasure of going on. A little video recap in a few days.

The previous post was a prelude to a more extensive and in depth look into a project that I am proud to be documenting. I could start by writing about the company, give a generic introduction to the project and call it something abhorrent like “Canada’s best kept secret”, fortunately that’s not how we do things around here; I will however, retrace my day spent with members of the Cree Nation in Norway House, a small rural community north of Lake Winnipeg. Enough. Let’s flip the cover. Sometime last week, I was flown out to Winnipeg along with a few other media-related invitees to meet Sean McCormick, founder and CEO of Manitobah Mukluks (more on Sean & Manitobah Mukluks in Part 2 of the Visual Essay).

The first thing I noticed is a contagious passion and sympathy in regards to the dying tradition of aboriginal art. In fact, Aboriginal art does not receive the recognition nor value it truly deserves especially when we think of the numerous companies mass-producing replica moccasins and mukluks, selling them dirt cheap, making it impossible for the aboriginal community’s lack of brand identity to compete and market their goods in a postmodern shopper’s world… Which brings us to the matter at hand; Sean has developed the Storyboot project in which Manitobah Mukluks commissions aboriginal craft-artists to hand cut, sew & embroider Mukluk boots in the method they were always meant to be made. Not only is it a means to revive the art but also as a way to give back what is deserved to the native community.

The premise of our journey was to visit Norway House and meet one of the artists contributing to the collection of one-off’s. We were lucky enough to have time to roam around the town which gave us a glimpse into the social imperfections making the Storyboot project that much more relevant when in situ.

At last, we get to observe each needle and thread meticulously puncture the freshly smoked deer hide; it’s a visually mind-numbing experience similar to watching the timelapse of an architectural build site. We sat in the room for a while, asked her questions about her past, about the community but most importantly about the art of handcraft and how it is bringing the Cree nation together.

This isn’t nearly the end of our journey nor is it the conclusion to my visual essay. We have yet to see the arms holding up the curtains, the people sweating to make project’s like this possible, a less romantic but equally pertinent side of the company. Hold tight we’ll wrap up the dichotomy in a few days.

Once in a while I clean up my memory cards and find interesting shots that I might have overlooked in my first triage. I’ll be posting a bunch of Lost Shots from my trips and previous photoshoots, consider these as a another photo series to keep you busy while you wait for the next installment of I WISH THEY MADE THIS FOR GIRLS. These ones are all from the best place in the world, man do I miss it…

“The amount of times I’ve actually heard a girl say “I WISH THEY MADE THIS FOR GIRLS” when looking at boys’ clothes goes beyond memory. From that quote, I’ve begun a little Photo Series project with some of the most gorgeous women in my life. Done right, the series should have that inexplicable umph most guys feel when waking up and seeing a girl in his t-shirt and boxers. Dressed in my clothes, they will, one by one be featured on the blog.”

View Previous Entries from the Series

Masha – Arc’teryx Veilance Jacket / Visvim Striped Oxford Shirt

Really appreciate the gesture from the INVENTORY boys; they sent me a couple of awesome publications for the coffee table. I’d been following Brendan Meadows work ever since I saw his shots featured in a passed issue of HuGE magazine. Check out Front Lines, a photo zine created in collaboration with the folks at Klaxon Howl.

I’m excited to say I’ll be shooting Penfield‘s Spring/Summer 2012 lookbook tomorrow morning. Penfield have had an impressive roster of photographers work on their previous collections; so it is a humbling feeling to be associated to all the others who’ve preceded me. This is my kit. Ready.

Tired of trekking the big beast, this new addition to the repertoire should help with more updates on the blog! Also decided to give the layout a bit of a makeover, let me know your thoughts.