Meet the designers on this year’s Indigenous Fashion Projects Runway at Australian Fashion Week
Words by Giulia Brugliera
“Our show brings together our way of being.”
One of the irrefutable program highlights of Australian Fashion Week (AFW) each year is the Indigenous Fashion Projects Runway. It offers industry a small taste of the enormous breadth of our country’s First Nations fashion talent, highlighting emerging designers to a room full of editors, buyers, journalists and influencers.
This year, it’s not just industry that’s been invited. In addition to the closed event, a second Indigenous Fashion Projects runway will be open to the public. Anyone with a ticket (which you can still purchase here) can experience the runway showcasing work from Joseph & James, Lazy Girl Lingerie, Gali Swimwear, Ihraa Swim and Miimi and Jiinda.
Discover more up-and-coming local designers in our Fashion section.
Each of the five labels has a distinct design identity that will be brought together by a common theme. “Our show brings together our way of being, In Relation Way,” says Indigenous Fashion Projects Manager, Michelle Maynard. “Their stories are woven together inspired by land and waters, memory, culture and our people.”
The runways form part of a wider program designed to support the growth of First Nations fashion labels, too. Over the past two years, the Indigenous Fashion Projects Pathways Program – founded by Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF) Foundation and supported by David Jones – has connected this year’s designers to workshops and mentorships from established Australian lavels like Bassike, Bondi Born, Esse, Alemais, Blanca and more. The runway is the culmination of this two years of work.
For consumers, the new collections from all five designers will later be hanging at David Jones’ Elizabeth Street flagship, alongside pieces from First Nations labels Gammin Threads and Kamara. All will be available to browse, try and buy.
As an official media partner of AFW, we’ve been eyeing the work of these designers for a while now. Here’s what we can expect from this year’s runway.
Juanita Page, Founder of Joseph & James
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With an eye to elevating streetwear to something a little more sophisticated, Juanita established her menswear label Joseph & James in 2021. Following her runway appearance last year, she’ll be debuting Part Three: The Josephs, a collection exploring her generational history.
“It’s a petition to reflect, appreciate, aspire and celebrate,” she says. “The Josephs is inspired by key eras that my grandfather and father lived through as they each navigated early adulthood as Aboriginal, South Sea Islander and Samoan men in Mackay, Queensland. Both bearers of the name ‘Joseph’, this is a collection that will serve as a thank you.
“It’s an appreciation for the sacrifices made by the men that paved the way for me to step into the richness of life and opportunities that were out of reach in their time,” she says.
As a result, we can expect a firm extension of her identity as a designer. “They aren’t defined by circumstance. They value legacy and see purpose,” she says. Likewise, the collection will be true to the brand‘s aesthetic, with Juanita’s signature focus on texture, colour and original prints.
Melissa Greenwood & Lauren Jarrett, Founders of Miimii & Jiinda
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Mother and daughter duo Lauren and Melissa founded Miimii & Jiinda with a desire to translate their ancestral stories onto something more than canvas. While they also do offer original artworks, their work in apparel is what’s seen their label return to Australian Fashion Week. The new collection Yarilla, which means ‘to light up and illuminate’, will deliver resort wear that is bright and bold, sharing stories from the designers’ Gumbaynggirr Saltwater Country.
“[We’ve used] blue and green hues to represent our beautiful gaagal (ocean) and bindarray (rivers), as well as pinks, yellows, ochres and earthy hues to represent Gumbaynggirr sunsets and our feminine matriarchal line. The energy of our collection is empowering, yet soft and heart-centred,” they explain. “We hope to communicate the love and pride we feel for our culture and celebrate the importance of storytelling, keeping culture strong.”
Nat Dann, Founder of Ihraa Swim
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When launching her brand in 2021, Nat envisioned a brand that celebrated her culture while embracing the natural environment of Australia. Her work is inspired by her connection to our culture, land and environment, and is made using recycled plastic waste salvaged from the ocean. Nat’s theme for this season’s collection is ‘textures of country’, which she notes has a very bold and abstract feel to it, marking a diversion from her past work.
“I really would like to showcase how versatile and fun our collections are,” she explains. ”We’ve always had very bold prints, but this year we’ve played around and incorporated block colour, which really helps create a beautiful contrast.”
David Leslie, Founder of Gali Swimwear
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Joining the Indigenous Fashion Projects Runway for another year, Gali works with First Nations artists and communities to bring a diverse range of designs to men’s swimwear. Each tells a story and he hopes that through his swimwear, he can invite people to understand and celebrate First Nations culture. Gali’s next collection was made with Barkinji and Malangapa artist Jasmine Miikika Craciun, which he says “beautifully transforms the intricate patterns of Country into vibrant and colourful patterns.”
“This will be a new type of collection for Gali. We’re working with an artwork medium we haven’t done before, and will be showcasing some new products we have been working on for a little while now,” he says. ”I think (and hope) attendees will find this runway exciting.”
Cassandra Pons, Founder of Lazy Girl Lingerie
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It’s not often we see lingerie labels on the AFW runway, but Cassandra is offering a point of difference through Lazy Girl Lingerie. Her ethos is that “all bodies are good bodies” regardless of shape, size, colour and age, and so she offers custom sizing to work with each client’s body. This year she’ll be showcasing Ocean Eyes, a softer, more ethereal collection made with natural fibres in a “calming” colour palette, reiminiscent of the ocean. She hopes it will reinforce the brand’s message of caring for Country.
“This collection explores the connection we feel to the ocean, urging us to consider the impact the clothing we wear has on the environment,” she says. “It feels playful and fun, drawing inspiration from the beauty of nature that surrounds us.”
To learn more about Indigenous Fashion Projects, head here.
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