Gammin Threads is the tongue-in-cheek Naarm label celebrating culture and empowering women
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Laura Du Vè FOR GAMMIN THREADS
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“We don’t have to be professional athletes, academics or rappers to be celebrated. Our people have survived genocide.”
Tahnee Edwards didn’t intend to start her fashion label, Gammin Threads. As a proud Yorta Yorta and Taungurung woman, Tahnee was looking for a way to show love to her community but found herself at a creative roadblock. She became inspired by the 2018 NAIDOC Week theme, Because of Her, We Can. “I’m a staunch feminist and have strong political views, but I also don’t take myself or life too seriously,” Tahnee tells me.
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This combination of playfulness and passion is created in the Gammin Threads designs, a collection of colourful apparel and accessories “for people who believe in living colourfully, paying respect and empowering women”. Below, Tahnee speaks on community, representation and what’s next for the brand.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
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I’m a proud Yorta Yorta and Taungurung woman, designer and community worker. I studied both graphic design and fashion merchandising, but after working jobs that weren’t fulfilling, I started working casually at an Aboriginal family violence organisation called Djirra.
It was just meant to be a job between jobs, but I’m still here now six years later. So I’ve got a unique mix of professional and design experience, which contributes to the deadliness of Gammin Threads!
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
I started Gammin Threads in June 2018. I was coming out of a massive creative block. It was a mix of the NAIDOC Week theme Because of Her, We Can and the work I was doing in community that inspired me to create designs showing my love and admiration for Blak women and the Blak matriarchy. I didn’t set out to start a label, [but] it had been in the back of my mind for years – I just wanted a creative outlet.
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There are many challenges, but being a blackfella means there’s also the pressure of representing a group of people when we all come from such different backgrounds and lived experiences. I don’t claim to represent all First Nations people in my work, but I’m acutely aware that I’m representing my community and people… there are responsibilities and expectations with this.
What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now?
It started as a creative outlet and a way to honour the women in my community. I’m a staunch feminist and have strong political views, but I also don’t take myself or life too seriously, which reflects a lot of my pieces now.
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I love using cheeky themes and ‘IYKYK humour’. I think that’s part of the success and popularity with mob.
Where did the name come from?
Gammin is my favourite Aboriginal word. It can mean a few things; like ‘fake’, a lie or ‘joking’. It’s pretty much the opposite of deadly. It speaks to the humour I use throughout my ranges and that you see in community.
How would you describe your label to someone who’s never seen it before?
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Authentic… it celebrates everyday blackfellas. We don’t have to be professional athletes, academics or rappers to be celebrated. Our people have survived genocide.
What are you most proud of in your work on your label?
Seeing community wear my stuff always makes me proud. Also how far I’ve come… I’m now in a position to help others with their work.
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Together with Kristy from Haus of Dizzy, we’re about to launch Young Aunties Haus, a not-for-profit that will create opportunities for First Nations women and LGBTQI+ mob across the creative industries. We’re looking forward to giving young mob the support and opportunities that weren’t around when we were getting started.
What do you wish you knew when you started?
I really wish I knew more about the business side ’cos it takes up so much of your time. One of my biggest challenges is trying to run a small business by myself while still finding the time to be creative, and also working part-time at my nine-to-five job at Djirra.
Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?
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I’m really excited to see more First Nations representation from all over the country, especially southeastern representation. There is a misconception that Aboriginal art and design only happen in remote areas and because of this, artists from southeastern regions often get overlooked.
What about the Australian fashion industry needs to change?
We need more diversity and representation all across the industry, from cultural backgrounds to body diversity. And not just models, but also the people who work behind the scenes and in the business of fashion.
Dream Australian collaborators?
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There are so many artists I’d love to collaborate with. My biggest inspirations are Destiny Deacon, Reko Rennie, Tony Albert and Kaylene Whisky… I also love designers like Emma Mulholland and Poppy Lissiman.
Honestly though (and I might get some slack here). even doing a kids’ range with a chain like Kmart would be mad. I want proud Blak design to be accessible for mob from all socio-economic backgrounds, but it’s really hard keeping prices down when you’re a small business and can’t do big units.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
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Online or at the studio in Fitzroy I share with Haus of Dizzy – we have regular open studio sales. I’m also at the Koori Market at Aunty Alma Thorpes Gathering Place in Preston, which happens on the last Sunday of every month.
Browse the Gammin Threads collection here.
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