Around $300,000 has been shared across 33 emerging fashion creatives in New South Wales as part of the state government’s Quick Response Fashion Grants Program under Create NSW.
The 33 designers are using the grant funding to purchase critical equipment, seize professional development opportunities and forge connections across the fashion industry.
Under-represented emerging talent, including First Nations fashion designers and those based in Western Sydney and regional NSW, make up 60 per cent of recipients. This is part of the NSW Fashion Sector Strategy, driven by the Australian Fashion Council and various fashion brands.
Grants of up to $10,000 were offered to emerging fashion creatives to help fund their next chapter of growth, with the government confirming it received a large number of applications.
In response to the high demand, the program investment was boosted by 50 per cent, increasing the total funding delivered to $300,000, from the earlier $200,000 commitment.
Recipients include the Women of the Rivers, a collective of three First Nations fashion creatives from NSW’s Northern Rivers region, Kylie Caldwell, Jasmin Stanford and Val Smith. The three designers were supported to debut at the Country to Couture 2026 Fashion Showcase as part of this year’s Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair in early August.
The trio shared they were truly relieved and excited to secure their funding.
"Resourcing our vision and aspirations in the Indigenous fashion space is empowering, allowing us to create with less limitations,” they said.
“We are nervously excited to share what we have been designing. We decided to opt in as three designers to make the process less daunting and to provide a supportive space as we develop together.”
Dharug-based Ngiyampaa and Guringai woman Tarni Eastwood was supported to purchase business equipment needed to complement her residency at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris last month, as part of the Powerhouse 2026 galang Residency Program. During her residency, Eastwood is developing and documenting a series of woven headpieces that situate First Nations weaving knowledge within a European millinery context.
First Nations-owned Gali Swimwear is using the Quick Response Fashion Grant to help promote its lookbook and portfolio on an international scale. Founded in Bondi by Kamilaroi man David Leslie, Gali Swimwear (from the Gamilaraay word for ‘water’) collaborates with First Nations artists and communities to create premium sustainable men's swimwear.
Meanwhile, Riverina-based fashion designer Nehma Vitols has received support for her creative project Citrus Threads, a runway and exhibition project exploring regional industry through a cultural lens. Presented as part of Griffith’s Spring Fest 2026, the work draws on the legacy of Riverina citrus growers, translating their stories into garments, textiles, film, and long-form interviews, culminating in a major outdoor runway experience.
“Citrus Threads is about recontextualising regional industry through a cultural lens,” Vitols said.
“The Riverina has a rich agricultural history, but there’s an opportunity to tell these stories in a way that reaches new audiences. Bringing together fashion, storytelling and community, the project is both locally grounded and nationally relevant.
“This support also allows me to invest in infrastructure that extends beyond a single project, building long-term capacity for creative production in the Riverina.”
Create NSW executive director Kerri Glasscock applauded all the recipients on their next chapter.
“This much-needed boost delivers time-critical, practical support to NSW’s rising fashion creatives, so they can invest in equipment, gain increased industry recognition and expand their professional networks,” Glasscock said.