After roughly 40 hours of meticulous work spread out over almost four weeks, Fort Smith’s Michel Labine has successfully recreated a traditional Métis capote.
The garment has already been turning heads around town and online.
“Since I started this, a lot of people have come back to me and said they didn’t know they were that popular and they didn’t know they came in all different colours,’” Labine said soon after finishing the project. “Most of the people that you talk to didn’t know what they are.
“I think that the motivation [to make it] was to keep the tradition alive.”
Capotes are knee-length parkas that have been worn by Labine’s Métis forebears since the 1800s, when they were first created by trappers who were looking for new ways to stay warm in the frigid winter months. They are fashioned out of wool Hudson’s Bay blankets, and feature a range of decorations and customizations, depending on the tastes and requirements of the owner.
“As soon as the Hudson’s Bay blankets came to Canada and they started the trading, the Métis trappers found that they could use the blankets effectively to make a nice warm jacket or capote, and they started doing that,” Labine said.
He started with a red and black blanket – just like the one his father’s capote was made from – which cost nearly $1,000.
After buying the blanket, he put it through the washing machine and dryer so that he could wash the finished product without shrinking it. When that was done, he took the necessary measurements, and prepared to cut the blanket.
He found some information on capote designs in books in the library, as well as online, but had to make careful alterations to account for his large stature.
“I had to take the pattern and extrapolate to my size,” he said. “I started laying out the pattern on it, and I was really reluctant to make the first cut because I wanted the tag from the Hudson’s Bay blanket and the stripes to be on the front.
“I wanted to make sure that when I finished it, it looked good.”
Labine’s finished capote features decorative wool stitching, and a large hood, which can be fastened around the neck with two ties.
He said it’s comfortable, if a little cumbersome.
“I thought it would be really itchy, but it’s very nice and comfortable to wear,” he said. “I’m surprised how heavy it is.
“I’m very, very happy with the final product. It looks good for somebody my size.”
He plans to save his capote for “dress occasions,” such as a Dec. 16 Elders dinner, where he will let his friends and neighbours “have a closer look” at his creation. He also plans to wear the garment to any winter festivals and dog races he attends this season.
This was far from Labine’s first ambitious undertaking as an artist and craftsperson. He has already created several other traditional garments, and last year, earned a Guinness World Record for creating the world’s largest pair of snowshoes.
He has some interesting ideas for his next project. He plans to make a capote for his son and daughter. He also intends to make a pair of traditional moose-hide boots, which will match well with his own capote and a favourite wolf-fur hat.
“When I’m done, it’ll all be part and parcel,” he said. “I’ll have the whole setup up to demonstrate the fact that I’m Métis.”