For the first time in its 25-year history, the internationally acclaimed fashion event — Australian Fashion Week — opened with a 65,000-year-old custom: a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony by the Gadigal people.
It was made even more special by a performance by the Muggera dance troupe and First Nations Fashion and Design (FNFD) all-Indigenous fashion showcase curated by Cairns-based Meriam Mer woman Grace Lillian Lee.
“Our team is standing on the shoulders of many that have gone before us in building up the industry,” Ms Lee, founder of Indigenous advocacy group First Nations Fashion and Design (FNFD), said.
“It’s a very momentous occasion for us as First Nations people to be really hitting the ground and showcasing how beautiful and rich our country is not only through our textiles but also through our beautiful models.”
These Far North Queensland women were proud to be walking together, sharing their culture on the national stage with Indigenous designers from across the country Clair Helen, NGARRU MIIMI, Amber Days, AARLI and Nungala Creative.
‘Self-determined, independent, Indigenous designers’
In another first, FNFD was the first Indigenous runway, led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and starring an all-Indigenous cast at Australian Fashion Week.
