London Fashion Week: Capital gains for Indigenous labels

A pocket of Indigenous sparkle was to be found under leaden grey skies in the autumnal British capital as a handful of First Nations labels prepared for the catwalk during London Fashion Week.

Shannon McGuire models a dress by Narelda Yonga. Picture: Jacquelin Magnay

A pocket of Indigenous sparkle was to be found under leaden grey skies in the autumnal British capital as a handful of First Nations ­labels prepared for the catwalk during London Fashion Week.

West Australian model Shannon McGuire wore a flowing formal gown from the label Kirrikin and stopped morning workers in their tracks alongside Westminster Bridge.

For the first time, various Indigenous labels including designer swimwear from both Liandra and Karmara, resort wear from the MAARA Collective, the silk patterned wear from Ngali, and the distinctive luxurious fabrics of Mimi&Jiinda were able to show off their styles to invited guests at Australia House on The Strand on Tuesday evening.

Shannon McGuire wears a dress designed by Narelda Yonga in London ahead of an indigenous fashion show during London Fashion Week. Picture: Jacquelin Magnay

The event, coinciding with the capital’s fashion week, has been a year in the planning and was only coincidental to be at a time when the voice to parliament is centre of the national news debate.

Amanda Healy, a Wonnarua woman from the Hunter Valley in NSW, whose career in the mining industry morphed into fashion with a Churchill Fellowship to Paris, created Kirrikin nearly 10 years ago. The company name translates to “Sunday’s best clothes” and is a social enterprise for Indigenous artists.

She said the Indigenous labels were “agnostic” in the debate about the voice but each designer had personal voices about whether they were voting yes or no.

The fashion comes as First Nat­ions artists are to benefit from the recently signed Australia-UK Free-Trade Agreement, which includes reciprocal arrangements to provide for royalties to be paid to Australian artists where their artworks are resold in Britain.

The highest proportion of eligible resales in the Australian scheme occurs among Indigenous art wholesalers, Australian government officials said. Under the scheme, artists will be given remuneration after the initial sale, and it could be significant if the works grow in value.

The deal commits to make all reasonable efforts to join the Hague Agreement on Designs, providing facilitated access to protection for Indigenous fashion, decorative and industrial designers in international markets.