Sky Country: Indigenous fashion weaves culture and climate together

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A woman in a purple dress looks up at the sky

A woman in a purple dress and a man wearing a yellow patterned outfit stand in front of a rock

Models CJ Rankin, a Kiyak woman, and Nelson Baker Bardi, a Nyikina man, wear Nagula Jarndu Designs.

The art centre Nagula Jarndu (Saltwater Woman) began in Rubibi/Broome in 1987 as a place for Yawuru women to gather, preserve language, share knowledge and keep culture strong. Their hand-carved woodblock prints on cotton and silks, shown at Country to Couture, share stories of saltwater, plants, family and Country.

A woman in a yellow dress wears a woven head piece

CJ Rankin wears Corella & Crow.

Shown at Country to Couture, the Madhan (Tree) collection by Corella & Crow uses upcycled materials including reclaimed curtains, alongside dyeing, printmaking, beading and embroidery, to celebrate the cultural and ecological significance of trees. Slow fashion processes are a way for the label to honour and care for materials, story and place.

Women in brightly coloured outfits stand in the bush with a big blue sky in the background

Yvonne Rankin (left) and CJ Rankin wear designs by Yarrenyty Arltere Artists.

Yarrenyty Arltere Artists’ collection Thepa Ilpalha is the work of Rhonda Sharpe, Dulcie Sharpe, Marlene Rubuntja, Louise Robertson and Sheree Inkamala, who bring their love of painted and soft sculpture birds to life in bold structured pieces on cotton.

A man wearing white stands on a rock in front of a blue sky

Model Jake Powers, a Yaruwu and Kija man, wears Lucas Schober.

Model turned designer Lucas Schober showcased at Country to Couture for the first time. This ensemble, modelled by Jake Powers, is inspired by the gakinga (magpie goose), a migratory bird whose arrival to the Northern Territory symbolises the beginning of balnba (wet season). Here, Schober has taken feathers from the bird and hand-stitched them over a linen cape, which he has also printed with emblems of the bird.

Powers was named this year’s Cecilia Cubillo Young Achiever at the National Indigenous Fashion awards. The 21-year-old Bardi, Yawuru and Kija man, who grew up watching international couture shows on YouTube from his home in Broome, also served as a stylist and production assistant at the ceremony.

Powers told Guardian Australia he is working toward launching his own collection. “We’ve found a different ways to tell stories through garments, which is a whole other level of creativity and innovation that this industry needs,” he said.

A woman wearing a dark outfit walks along a beach

From left: Jake Powers, Yvonne Rankin and Nelson Baker Bardi, all wearing Lucas Schober.

A woman standing on rocks wearing a T-shirt that says ‘Save Lee Point’

Yvonne Rankin wears Bobbi Lockyer x Skye Lockyer x Mali Isabel.

A three-way artist collaboration shown at Country to Couture, Bobbi and Skye Lockyer and Mali Isabel’s collection the Mermaid Collective is inspired by saltwater Country, mermaid mythology, cultural storytelling and activism. It blends streetwear with handcrafted details such as beadwork, weaving and embroidery. The “Save Lee Point” T-shirt refers to the ongoing campaign against defence housing expansion at Lee Point.

A woman in a teal outfit strikes a pose with one arm in the air

A woman in a floaty dress and circular headpiece walks along a beach

CJ Rankin wears Bábbarra Women’s Centre (left) and Jaymee-Lee Chaquebor.

The National Indigenous Fashion award’s Community Collaboration prize celebrated a cross-cultural printing partnership between Bábbarra Women’s Centre, based in the remote community of Maningrida, and Bengaluru’s Tharangini Studio. Bábbarra artists travelled to India to translate their ancestral lino-cut designs and cultural stories into woodblocks used for printing, while sharing techniques.

Bardi artist Jaymee-Lee Chaquebor’s Jarrabinmy collection was shown at this year’s Country to Couture. The garments’ prints are deeply rooted in Bardi culture, storytelling and the relationship between land and sea.

A woman in a flowing red skirt stands at the beach

CJ Rankin wears MumRed.

National Indigenous Fashion award finalist Samala Cronin is best known for her one-of-a-kind pieces. This year, she showcased her first ready-to-wear collection under her label MumRed at Country to Couture. The Flow State collection is designed to honour and celebrate every stage of the menstrual cycle.

A woman in a black dress is seen in front of a starry night sky

CJ Rankin wears Noongar Arts Fashion.

Noongar Arts Fashion made their debut at this year’s Country to Couture with a collection titled Kambarang, a series of dresses celebrating the Noongar season of transformation and birth, when Wardandi Country comes alive with wildflowers – golden wattle blossoms, vibrant kangaroo paws, delicate orchids and everlastings.

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