First Nations designers, models, artists, and artisans from across Australia converged on Larrakia Country in Darwin this week for the Country to Couture runway show and the National Indigenous Fashion Awards. The events highlighted the fusion of cultural heritage with contemporary fashion, emphasizing sustainability and storytelling through garments.
Nagula Jarndu: Saltwater Woman Legacy
The art centre Nagula Jarndu (Saltwater Woman), founded in 1987 in Rubibi/Broome, began as a gathering place for Yawuru women to preserve language, share knowledge, and maintain cultural strength. Their hand-carved woodblock prints on cotton and silks, featured at Country to Couture, narrate stories of saltwater, plants, family, and Country. Models CJ Rankin, a Kiyak woman, and Nelson Baker Bardi, a Nyikina man, showcased these designs, bringing the centre's three-decade legacy to the runway.
Corella & Crow: Slow Fashion with Ecological Roots
The Madhan (Tree) collection by Corella & Crow, presented at Country to Couture, utilizes upcycled materials including reclaimed curtains, alongside dyeing, printmaking, beading, and embroidery. This collection celebrates the cultural and ecological significance of trees, with slow fashion processes serving as a method for the label to honor and care for materials, story, and place. The designs reflect a deep commitment to environmental stewardship and cultural preservation.
Yarrenyty Arltere Artists: Sculptural Bird Inspirations
Yarrenyty Arltere Artists presented their collection Thepa Ilpalha, a collaborative work by Rhonda Sharpe, Dulcie Sharpe, Marlene Rubuntja, Louise Robertson, and Sheree Inkamala. The collection brings their love of painted and soft sculpture birds to life in bold, structured pieces on cotton. The designs echo the artists' connection to their environment and the avian life that surrounds them, merging art and fashion in a unique visual language.
Lucas Schober: Debut and Young Achiever Recognition
Model-turned-designer Lucas Schober showcased at Country to Couture for the first time, presenting an ensemble inspired by the gakinga (magpie goose), a migratory bird whose arrival to the Northern Territory signals the start of balnba (wet season). Schober hand-stitched feathers from the bird over a linen cape, which he also printed with emblems of the bird. The design was modelled by Jake Powers, a 21-year-old Bardi, Yawuru, and Kija man, who was named this year's Cecilia Cubillo Young Achiever at the National Indigenous Fashion Awards.
Powers, who grew up watching international couture shows on YouTube from his home in Broome, also served as a stylist and production assistant at the ceremony. He told Guardian Australia he is working toward launching his own collection. "We've found different ways to tell stories through garments, which is a whole other level of creativity and innovation that this industry needs," he said.
Collaborative Collections: Mermaid Collective and Community Partnerships
The Mermaid Collective, a three-way collaboration between Bobbi and Skye Lockyer and Mali Isabel, was shown at Country to Couture. This collection draws inspiration from saltwater Country, mermaid mythology, cultural storytelling, and activism, blending streetwear with handcrafted details such as beadwork, weaving, and embroidery. The "Save Lee Point" T-shirt references the ongoing campaign against defence housing expansion at Lee Point, merging fashion with political expression.
The National Indigenous Fashion Awards' Community Collaboration prize celebrated a cross-cultural printing partnership between Bábbarra Women's Centre, based in the remote community of Maningrida, and Bengaluru's Tharangini Studio. Bábbarra artists travelled to India to translate their ancestral lino-cut designs and cultural stories into woodblocks for printing, while sharing techniques with their Indian counterparts. This exchange highlights the global resonance of Indigenous art and the power of cross-cultural collaboration.
Emerging Voices: MumRed and Noongar Arts Fashion
National Indigenous Fashion Award finalist Samala Cronin showcased her first ready-to-wear collection under her label MumRed at Country to Couture. The Flow State collection is designed to honour and celebrate every stage of the menstrual cycle, reflecting a growing trend in fashion that addresses personal and cultural narratives. Cronin, known for her one-of-a-kind pieces, expanded her repertoire with this new line, demonstrating versatility and innovation.
Noongar Arts Fashion made their debut at this year's Country to Couture with a collection titled Kambarang, a series of dresses celebrating the Noongar season of transformation and birth. The designs evoke Wardandi Country coming alive with wildflowers – golden wattle blossoms, vibrant kangaroo paws, delicate orchids, and everlastings – bringing the landscape's seasonal beauty onto the runway.
Cultural and Environmental Intersection
The events underscored the intersection of culture and climate, with many designers incorporating sustainable practices and environmental themes into their collections. From upcycled materials to natural dyeing techniques, the showcased works reflect a broader movement within Indigenous fashion to honour both ancestral traditions and the planet. The Country to Couture runway show and the National Indigenous Fashion Awards serve as platforms for these voices, amplifying their messages to a wider audience.
