Indigenous fashion in Australia makes giant strides forward, from the country’s fashion week to its oldest department store

Sixteen indigenous fashion brands were celebrated at this year’s Australian Fashion Week as part of two separate shows

The prints of indigenous artists have increasingly been seen in the collections of non-indigenous brands such as Roopa Pemmaraju, Aje and Desert Designs

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A First Nations Fashion and Design presentation at this year’s Barunga Festival in Katherine, Northern Territory. The First Nations Fashion and Design show was also an event at this year’s Afterpay Australian Fashion Week.

Published: 7:15am, 22 Oct 2021Updated: 8:01am, 22 Oct 2021

Tears, joy and a standing ovation rounded off this year’s First Nations Fashion and Design (FNFD) show, a celebration of 10 indigenous fashion brands, at June’s Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW).

Leading on from the event, David Jones, an Australian department store, announced plans earlier in October to start selling a capsule collection made up of looks from five of the six indigenous designers who featured in a second showcase at AAFW, produced by an organisation called Indigenous Fashion Projects, held the day after the FNFD show.

It is the first indigenous-focused retail project to flow on from this year’s AAFW, while a number of other projects are said to be in the pipeline.

“Every time I watch the show it just brings back so many emotions,” says Grace Lillian Lee, the founder and creative director of FNFD. “I think it was such a powerful and impactful moment for us as an independent organisation – I felt that we were finally, really being seen by the industry.”

This recognition marks a giant stride for indigenous Australians, who numbered almost 800,000 in the 2016 census (3.3 per cent of the Australian population), and are 12-and-a-half times more likely to be jailed than non-indigenous people.

They also have a shorter life expectancy, higher rates of infant mortality, poorer health, and lower levels of education, employment and income.

Models walk the runway in designs by Grace Lillian Lee at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2021. Photo: Getty Images

Indigenous fashion in Australia makes giant strides forward, from the country’s fashion week to its oldest department store

Sixteen indigenous fashion brands were celebrated at this year’s Australian Fashion Week as part of two separate shows The prints of indigenous artists have increasingly been seen in the collections of non-indigenous brands such as Roopa Pemmaraju, Aje and Desert Designs

Sixteen indigenous fashion brands were celebrated at this year’s Australian Fashion Week as part of two separate shows

The prints of indigenous artists have increasingly been seen in the collections of non-indigenous brands such as Roopa Pemmaraju, Aje and Desert Designs