“Kamleika” (Chukchi word for gut parka), or snow shirt, is a traditional Yupik garment. Typically, Kamleikas are made out of walrus intestines being sewn with fine sinew threads and special watertight stitches. They serve for ideal outerwear under wet weather and ocean traveling, since animal fat creates water resistance. 

Resources in the Arctic Circle are limited. Given that Yupik lifestyle relies on hunting, animals become their primary resource for clothing as well. This makes the garment-making process sustainable in order to keep every part of the material possible. More often than not, final products are made with the least amount of reduction, keeping original qualities of the materials.

The major difference between walrus intestines and fabric as a material is the innate composition of animal body parts. While fabrics can be made into a flat surface, intestines retain a silhouette of the original anatomy. Kamleikas are fully dimensional. That being said, the parka has to be made with the idea of sculpting rather than draping. Even though it can be made to match a human figure, the parka is mostly shapeless and oversized, thus creating an intriguing appearance. 

​

The parka creates an interesting relationship between body and space. Due to its loose-fitting structure, the human figure is hidden. The garment creates a roomy, spacious look. This not only changes how one is perceived but also how one moves their body. Dawned upon the kamleika, I attempt to extend the idea of negative space between the human body and clothing from my perspective and develop aesthetically from this work.