Australian Fashion Week: It’s a First Nations first for Ngali

Elaine George and Samantha Harris reflect on the significance of the Ngali show at Afterpay Australia Fashion Week.

Models backstage ahead of walking the Ngali runway. Picture: Getty Images

Walking the Ngali runway show at Australia Fashion Week, the first standalone First Nations fashion show in the event’s history, was a special moment for Elaine George.

The Bundjalung and Arakwal woman was in 1993 the first Indigenous Australian to appear on the cover of Vogue Australia.

“For me, it’s actually exciting and brings tears to my eyes because 30 years ago, I never had this. It’s amazing that our First Nation designers are actually getting a standalone performance … during Australian Fashion Week,” she says backstage after the show.

In 2022, along with fellow First Nations models Charlee Fraser, Magnolia Maymuru and Cindy Rostron, and in partnership with First Nations Fashion + Design (FNFD), George returned to the cover of Vogue. That year also marked her return to the runway, walking for the FNFD showcase, which closed Australian Fashion Week.

Elaine George walks the runway during the Ngali show during Afterpay Australian Fashion Week. Image credit: Getty Images

“I came out of retirement because I wanted to support the younger generation coming through, to say that there’s actually more support and cultural safety now than there was 30 years ago,” she says of returning to modelling, adding with a laugh that she also had to learn how to use Instagram.

George says there’s power in fashion. “[It] starts from story­telling, to the designers through to the makers, through to the models. It’s actually not just an outfit, it’s a performance for us,” she says.

“I think for me it is spreading the word that we are one of the oldest living cultures in the world. And if we can showcase this on Australian Fashion Week, we can have a standalone show, it will bring the rest of the community into what we already know as a beautiful culture.”

Samantha Harris, who has witnessed the increasing recognition of First Nations designers and models in Australia over her two-decade runway career, echoes those thoughts.

Walking for Ngali’s first standalone show was a proud moment for the 32-year-old Sydney­sider, she says.

Model Cindy Rostron and designer Denni Francisco, before the Ngali show at Carriageworks. Picture: Tim Hunter

“When I started, there was no such thing as an Indigenous runway; fast forward 20 years, to see how it’s grown, it’s a really proud moment and I’m so grateful to have been part of the whole journey,” she says.

Ngali designer and Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco sees her solo show as just the beginning for First Nations fashion. “I can’t wait to see all the First Nations designers to come. This is actually really just the start for what I think is just an amazing opportunity within our communities,” she says.