Afterpay Australian Fashion week has well and truly launched for 2023, basing itself in Sydney’s Carraigeworks and exhibiting work from both iconic Australian labels as well as up-and-coming style revolutionaries. In what is undoubtedly an historic (and long overdue) occasion, this year’s AAFW has hosted Melbourne-based label Ngali in the first ever First Nations solo runway show. Sporting the tagline ‘together we create’, Ngali is bridging the gap between Indigenous history and contemporary style with the talents of Wiradjuri designer Denni Francisco, as well as five other Indigenous creatives whose flair can be found in the shows’ footwear, millinery and accessories.
This has been a long-time coming for AAFW, and the creative genius explicit in Ngali’s show proves just how large a space Indigenous design has within the fashion industry. The show was tranquil and cohesive, true to the statement made by Francisco about the collection being “designed to have one move effortlessly wherever they go”, and is inspired by the diverse landscape of the Wiradjuri country. Meaning ‘skyworld’ in the Wiradjuri language, the Murriyang collection showed blues, oranges and cool silvers draping the cast of First-Nations models, decorated by Indigenous-inspired patterns that left a bold statement and earned a standing ovation.
Ngali is stocked online and in David Jones. See the website for more at www.ngali.com.au
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