Team NT now has something to march out in for the opening ceremonies of the 2018 Arctic Winter Games in Hay River on March 18.
The team uniform was officially unveiled at a launch party in Yellowknife on Feb. 20. The day included speeches from Caroline Cochrane, minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, representatives from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) and Doug Rentmeister, chef de mission for Team NT.
People got a sneak peek of the basis of the uniform last month but there was something very important missing: the wolf fur from the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur Program that envelops the hood.
Rentmeister said there were some speedskaters and biathletes that helped model the uniform along with Veronica McDonald of Yellowknife, who will be competing in Arctic sports at the AWG.
"People got a chance to see and feel the product and there was a very strong response to it," he said. "I was pleasantly surprised as to how well it was received and I'm proud of the garment."
The uniform itself has a colour scheme meant to represent the NWT landscape, with black representing the night sky, blue representing a frozen lake, green for the aurora borealis and white stripes for snow.
For the fur program, this will be the second successive AWG where it has provided trim for the uniforms. According to ITI, more than 500 uniforms will have the wolf fur trim.
In a press release on Feb. 21, Drew Williams, ITI's manager of communications, stated that the wolf fur being used is sought-after around the world.
"This brand is one that is in high demand by the international fashion industry on runways in Russia, China and Europe," he said. "It's the finest wild fur in the world and it comes from NWT trappers who are also the best in the world."
"The one thing I noticed right away is that it's a cleaner and whiter wolf fur than we usually see," added Rentmeister.
The best way to determine how well the uniform was received was how many team members come back with them after the Games are done.
Rentmeister said the athletes and coaches will all do their thing.
"You always have kids who want to see if they can get another jacket from the other contingents," he said. "Greenland is always a popular one, Alaska is a favourite. If the garment is popular, we'll have lots of exchanges."
But you won't catch Rentmeister trading his. He never has.
"It's a memento every time," he said.