Twenty Indigenous professionals working across textile, customary adornment and fashion are set to take part in a global exchange program to support cultural collaboration and capacity building.
This includes eight First Nations creatives from Australia, six from Aotearoa/New Zealand, five from Turtle Island, Canada and one international delegate from the Pacific Islands.
Creative Australia launched the three-year program in a bid to back textile creatives, designers, models and industry specialists and advocates to develop leadership, strengthen sector connections and support a fashion and textiles ecosystem across three continents.
The first gathering is happening now, hosted by Creative Australia in Garramilla Darwin on Larrakia Country between August 2 and 10. This will be followed by subsequent immersive visits to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2027 and Turtle Island Canada in 2028.
The selected Australian participants are Lucy Simpson, Lillardia Briggs-Houston, Michelle Maynard, Nicole Chatfield, Cassie Puruntatameri, Bianca Long, Marley Morgan and Juanita Page.
Creative Australia executive director of First Nations arts and culture, Franchesca Cubillo, said the program is an important opportunity to make space and support First Nations creatives and industry leaders.
“This remarkable group represents a small selection of some of the innovation and cultural leadership that is currently shaping First Nations fashion and textile practice today, and we are proud to support their participation in this international exchange,” Cubillo said.
First initiated in 2015, the Tri Nations partnership between Creative Australia, Creative New Zealand and the Canada Council for the Arts has supported several iterations of international exchange, including programs focused on storytelling, visual arts/curatorship and the performing arts.
Inside the Australian delegation:
Lucy Simpson: A Yuwaalaraay mother, artist, designer and maker. She is a founding member of Countryman Collective and principal designer behind Gaawaa Miyay Aboriginal design studio based in Sydney on Wangal Country.
Lillardia Briggs-Houston: A Wiradjuri, Gangulu and Yorta Yorta artist and fashion designer creating distinctive garments and textiles informed by traditional cultural practices, connection to Country and contemporary design.
Michelle Maynard: A First Nations designer from Lutruwita/Tasmania whose practice spans digital design, print, collage, installation, creative production, fashion and textiles. She is the manager of Indigenous Fashion Projects (IFP) at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation.
Nicole Chatfield: A First Nations creative from Cairns whose work is grounded in her Yirrganydji and Nughi connections. She is the founder of Goompi’s Girl, a collaborative platform for art, fashion and design.
Cassie Puruntatameri: A Tiwi creative producer, model and mentor from Pirlangimpi on Melville Island. For the last decade, she has appeared at Australian Fashion Week, Melbourne Fashion Week and Country to Couture.
Bianca Long: A proud Aboriginal artist, entrepreneur, and community advocate from the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. She is the founder of Jaru Girl Designs and Milky Water Western and owns and operates an Aboriginal-owned arts and cultural hub in Wyndham.
Marley Morgan: A Wiradjuri, Gamilaraay and Ualaroi photographer and storyteller based on Gumbaynggirr Country. Her work spans fashion, culture and art, centring First Nations excellence and ethical representation through visual storytelling.
Juanita Page: A Gooreng Gooreng and South Sea Islander designer and founder of Naarm/Melbourne-based menswear label Joseph & James. She also continues her work as a freelance stylist and fashion and textiles lecturer at RMIT University.