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On Day 1 of Australian Fashion Week 2023, the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council’s cultural educator, Marrawarra and Barkindji Elder Brendan Kerin, posed a vital question: why isn’t the same effort put into celebrating and recognising Aboriginal culture and is with other significant events on our nation’s calendar?
Australian Fashion Week is a prime example of intrinsic disparity uniquely experienced in this country of recognising Australian history yet excluding First Nations stories, culture and voices from the narrative.
On Day 3 of Australian Fashion Week, a milestone 65,000 years in the making was finally achieved with Denni Francisco, the Wiradjuri fashion designer and founder of First Nations fashion collective Ngali becoming the first-ever First Nations designer to stage a solo runway show on the official Australian Fashion Week schedule.
Ngali’s show represents the much-needed shift in the mainstream Australian fashion industry to formally recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ sovereignty, history and perspective.
For 27 years, since AFW’s inception in 1996, Indigenous voices have been omitted from the wider programming. It was only in 2019 that the calendar included a Welcome to Country ceremony, but here, now, in 2023 Francisco has helped bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creativity to the forefront: a place they will no longer be left out of.
Given Ngali’s ethos is to sartorially embody First Nations artwork through covetable clothing and meaningful collectables, this runway presentation was an extension of everything that makes up the brand: community, culture and reverence of Country.
At Carriageworks, a former industrial hub in the centre of Redfern—a poignant location given the inextricable link the suburb has with Sydney’s Indigenous history—we gathered on unceded Gadigal land on the Eora nation to bare witness to the next chapter in Ngali’s bourgeoning history.
Entitled ‘Murriyang’, which translates to “skyworld” in the Wiradjuri language, the range of ready-to-wear, accessories, millinery and footwear adapts and contextualises the works of Indigenous artists across all modes of dressing.
“Through the medium of fashion, Ngali works to give more people access to First Nations’ creative talent by taking the stories of incredible artwork beyond wall displays and exhibitions,” Francisco explained in a press note.
This design methodology allows First Nations-designed pieces to transcend country lines and traditional presentation models by having the creations exist omnipresently and concurrently around the world, including the runway.
Opening the collection was Cindy Roston, donning a drop shoulder smock dress featuring an oversized scarf in teal and azure blues.The river-esque patterns featured in these designs encompass the collection’s overarching connection to Country, the waterways and sky that guide First Nations’ journeys.
Legendary First Nations models Samantha Harris and Elaine George, an Arakwal woman, also modelled looks from the collection, which featured pops of apricot, vibrant orange, cobalt blue, slate grey and white which referenced the Australian landscape.
Everything down to the artwork hand painted onto the models’ boots and the cylindrical motif, feathers and animal sigils positioned in models’ hair was a tribute to Country and to First Nations culture. The oldest, continual culture in living history.
The finale was nothing short of moving, with Francisco and her collaborators walking out onto the runway to the sound of a standing ovation. The front row, which included journalists, influencers, First Nations elders and community members were moved to tears, with the message of this momentous and history-making event found emblazoned on the sweaters worn by Ngali’s artisans: Always. Is. Was.
Later in the day, as GRAZIA’s editors were commuting to the next show in our Toyota RAV4 GXL , The Cranberries’ “Dreams” came over the radio. It was the song played during the show’s close, and a poignant reminder that—as Dolores O’Riordan sung in the ’93 alt-rock single—life is changing everyday, and these designers are impossible to ignore.
This year, the GRAZIA Australia team travelled between AAFW shows in the refined style of Toyota’s new RAV4 GXL. With its modern and spacious interior, privacy glass, and fast charging portals for our phones, it was the perfect mode of travel for zipping across Sydney town. To find out more, visit toyota.com.au
