After buying Inuvik parka in auction, owner sets out on search for its maker

A former Yellowknife resident has found a northern treasure in a B.C. auction — and now she's turning to social media in an attempt to unravel its past.

After spying an old-style parka in a catalogue for an auction in Greenwood, B.C., last weekend, Lori Taylor went down to take a look in person.

What she found was a wool parka tagged as "handcrafted in the Canadian Arctic by the Inuvik Sewing Centre," complete with fabric characters, fur lining, and a trademark Delta braid.

Taylor won the auction. 

"I'm just thrilled. Because it's a piece of history," she said.

However, besides the tag stating where the parka was made, Taylor didn't have any information on the original crafter. She knows a general timeline — the sewing centre was open from the 1960s to the 1980s — but no name.

"I know that a lot of people have probably been taught, and worked through the Inuvik Sewing Centre," she said. "So it's hard to say."

"It's kind of traditional. I never thought that I would be able to have something like that. It's just a beautiful piece, honestly."

'I've gotta try it'

Taylor turned to CBC for help in getting the story of her find out, in the hopes of finding a lead to the original artist. A Facebook post turned up several names of people who had worked at the sewing centre, but, as of now, nobody has laid claim to the parka's creation.

Taylor said she will also turn to the organizers of the auction — the proceeds went to a local seniors centre — in the hopes of finding a lead.

"If there's a story attached to it, I would love to get it back to someone," said Taylor.

If not, though? She's going to wear it — what else would you do with a parka?

"It's going to be warm," she said with a laugh. "I am going to take care of it, but I am going to wear it when I walk around our hillside. I've gotta try it."