Ngali on being Afterpay Australian Fashion Week’s first Indigenous standalone runway
IMAGE VIA NGALI
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“An opportunity to celebrate our culture and create something special together.”
This is not the first time Melbourne-based fashion designer Denni Francisco has made history for First Nations fashion. In August of 2022, she became a two-time winner of The National Indigenous Fashion Awards’ New Designer accolade for her label, Ngali. The year before, Ngali was one of the brands featured in Afterpay Australian Fashion Week’s (AAFW) inaugural Indigenous Fashion Projects runway show, presented by David Jones.
For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.
As an official media partner of this year’s AAFW, Fashion Journal is covering all of the best bits from the jam-packed 2023 program. Two years after that initial runway debut, Ngali will be showcasing AAFW’s first-ever standalone First Nations runway, held at 10am on May 17. While the IRL show is exclusive to industry, it will be streamed online to watch and rewatch to your heart’s desire. Below, Denni speaks on the history-making runway.
Tell me what we can expect from Ngali’s standalone show at AAFW.
View this post on Instagram
The Murriyang collection celebrates Country as it can be seen from the sky, picking up the elements of land and water. The works of art by Gija man Linsday Malay and Ngarrindjeri Wirangu man Keedan Rigney have been translated to depict these aerial views. The silhouettes are created to have one move effortlessly and in comfort, to take you wherever it is you wish to go.
Under the ethos of creating together, the collection is planned to follow from what has come before and [act] as a precursor to what is yet to come, so that one can create personal and unique looks. Some of this infusion will be witnessed on the runway at AAFW.
Participating in a group runway at such a prestigious event is one thing, but presenting a standalone show is a huge achievement. What’s the process of pulling the show together been like?
A standalone experience is quite a unique experience for us. Participating in group runways in 2021 and 2022 with other First Nations designers has been one of the delights of business. There is always such a great energy around these collective experiences.
View this post on Instagram
A standalone runway is a different opportunity, but one that will still involve a collective experience through the involvement of other creatives who will be able to showcase their stunning accessories on the runway looks.
We also get to include First Nations… creatives and more artists. So the runway becomes yet another collective experience giving us an opportunity to celebrate our culture and create something special together.
What does it mean to you to be a part of First Nations fashion history?
Our history is built on all First Nations people who have come before us and those who are now present creating history every day… there are so many more First Nations creatives that make up fashion history. I think this opportunity, provided by IMG, recognises that First Nations have a rightful place in Australian fashion. As First Nations people we create together. That means more than anything.
To learn more about Ngali, head here.
Liked this? You’ll love these...
