Indigenous fashion (finally) steps into the limelight
First Nations designers are hopeful of a genuinely inclusive future for their industry, which 'helps non-Indigenous people experience our culture'.
A model wears one of Denni Francisco's designs from her Ngali label. Francisco says fashion offers “a great opportunity to celebrate what First Nations people bring to the table”.
Critically acclaimed designer Julie Shaw grew up far from the glamour and lights of the world’s fashion capitals. She was raised in Lightning Ridge, a small opal-mining town in outback NSW, “surrounded by family and community”, she says.
In this perhaps unlikely setting, Shaw, who is a descendant of the Yuwaalaraay people through her mother’s family, became obsessed with fashion and design. “I’m not even sure how or why that was,” she says, “but somehow I was just drawn to the creativity and knew that it would be my path.”
