Clothing The Gaps on the importance of Indigenous fashion

Sianna Catullo of Clothing The Gaps on the importance of Indigenous fashion

WORDS AND PRODUCER: SASKIA TILLERS Images courtesy of Clothing The Gaps and Instagram/@clothingthegaps in partnership with

Having been involved in social enterprise Clothing The Gaps since its inception in 2018, proud Narungga woman Sianna Catullo has helped build the brand into the successful Indigenous streetwear brand renowned for its “merch with a message”—political fashion designed to spark conversations.

After being threatened with legal action for using the Aboriginal flag on their designs, Clothing The Gaps began a campaign to free the flag from copyright constraints that prevented people from using it. This January, their victory was announced, proving, as Catullo puts it, “the power of fashion.”

"One way of motivating mob to come to our programs was a custom training singlet designed by Laura Thompson (Gunditjmara), as an incentive. I suggested investing in streetwear, which we could market to a wider audience." How did working at Spark Health lead to the creation of Clothing The Gaps?

"We worked on the rebrand and came up with ‘Clothing The Gaps’, which we embroidered on three t-shirts—red, black and yellow which represented the colours of the flag. It was an opportunity to create pieces that would enable people to wear their values on the tee and support Aboriginal business."

"As a social enterprise we are about profit for purpose. We use business as a vehicle to self-determine our future through profit, efforts and resources supporting and helping to fund the impactful work of the Clothing The Gaps Foundation." What is a social enterprise?

"At the heart of Clothing The Gaps lie the values of elevating, educating, advocating and motivating people for positive social change. We want mob to feel celebrated and heard, but also keep in mind that we want everyone to feel part of the movement."

"The most challenging and proudest moment was the Free The Flag campaign. We were a small team campaigning nationally with zero funding. But it was so good to see the flag free and see so many Aboriginal organisations using the flag again!" What have been the biggest challenges so far?

"During the pandemic the fashion industry took a big hit, however brands with a bigger purpose thrived! People want to be wearing something that’s about something bigger than just looking cute. It’s about asking, 'How can I make a difference?'" Are more consumers choosing brands that align with their values?

"More local production, more merch with a message, more political fashion, and more diversity and inclusivity embedded throughout businesses, rather than just stopping at the talent." In what ways do you hope that the industry will continue changing?

Game changers.

in partnership with SWIPE UP