My name is Robert Miller, and I’m a Tlingit Alaska Native from Sitka, Alaska. I own Sea Fur Sewing, a small business I started in 2013 with a simple goal: to reconnect with my culture and learn the traditional skills of my ancestors.
When I started, I didn’t know much about sewing fur. I had a lot to learn, and I wasn’t afraid to make mistakes.
I remember harvesting my first three sea otters in Sitka Sound. I didn’t even know all the steps involved in preparing the hides. I started asking questions, doing research, and learning everything I could about traditional tanning and fur sewing.
Some of those early lessons were pretty interesting. I even borrowed my wife’s blender to try traditional brain tanning. Let’s just say that didn’t go over very well!
But I kept learning.
Over the years, I designed my own patterns, invested in sewing machines, and spent countless hours learning how to turn raw materials into beautiful, functional products.
I also spent more than three decades working in Alaska’s forests and fisheries, helping improve fish passage and salmon habitat. My work and my business have always shared something in common: respect for our natural resources.
Today, I make sea otter and seal fur hats, mittens, slippers, blankets, coats, and custom products for customers across the United States.
I was also fortunate to share parts of my lifestyle on Life Below Zero: Next Generation.
What started as a way to reconnect with my heritage has become my full-time business.
Every product I make has a story behind it. And every stitch is another small part of keeping our traditions alive.”Learn more about my story”
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