Meet The 5 First Nations Designers Honouring Connection To Country At Australian Fashion Week

Storytelling is a foundational practice in First Nations cultures across ‘Australia’. It's a tool we use to establish the relationships we hold; to each other, to the land we’re on, to our history and our future.

This sentiment is embodied in the theme of “In Relation Way”, which frames the return of the David Jones Indigenous Fashion Projects (IFP) Runway for Australian Fashion Week. In this showcase, 5 First Nations labels will present collections that use the runway to “weave stories of legacy, matriarchy, honour, connection, arrival and Country”.

The IFP Pathways Program is a two-year fashion label development program in partnership with David Jones, which supports mob designers through workshops and mentoring with established Australian designers such as Bassike, Bondi Born, ESSE, Alemais, Papinelle,  Blanca and Jac + Jack. This program and their showcases at AFW have been a significant opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visibility, with brands being able to represent their stories to a local and global audience. Previous graduates of the program include Liandra
Gaykamangu of Liandra (previously Liandra Swim) who presented her first solo show at AFW this week.

“As our designers present their new collections, their stories are woven together inspired by land and waters, memory, culture and our people," Michelle Maynard, Indigenous Fashion Projects Manager, said in a press release. "Our show brings together our way of being, In Relation Way.”

Before heading to the runway, Refinery29 Australia asked the 5 First Nations designers to yarn on their labels, the stories they want audience members to see in their collections and what the Australian fashion industry can learn from initiatives like Indigenous Fashion Projects.