First Nations Designers Are Taking Centre Stage At Australian Fashion Week

Returning for their second year at the helm, the Australian Fashion Council (AFC) has unveiled the lineup for the landmark 30th edition of Australian Fashion Week (AFW). Hosting an impressive array of both up-and-coming talents and established icons — from artful luminary Toni Maticevski to the avant-garde imagination of Iordanes Spyridon Gogos — the highly anticipated schedule promises a powerful showcase this May. As the global fashion conversation revisits persistent issues such as the lack of size diversity on the runway, this year marks a watershed moment for Indigenous representation at Australian Fashion Week: for the first time, at least three First Nations designers will present standalone shows, with two making their AFW solo debuts.

It signifies a clear shift in the Australian fashion landscape's recognition of Blak talent: only in 2021 did we see the first all-Indigenous runway presented by First Nations Fashion and Design (FNFD). Two years on, in 2023, Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco’s label, Ngali, became the first Indigenous label to secure a standalone show on the AFW schedule. It signalled a welcome shift toward a brighter, more inclusive future for Australian fashion and an exciting era for First Nations talent. These hard-won strides owe everything to the quiet tenacity and unwavering creative vision of Blak artists and designers, who have steadily bent the arc of Australian fashion toward a more honest reflection of the country’s identity.

Speaking to Francisco nearly three years on from Ngali’s first standalone show, it’s clear the rapid rise of First Nations talent shows no sign of slowing. "Ngali is now in its eighth year, and in that time, the landscape for First Nations fashion has evolved significantly. There is a growing strength, confidence, and visibility in the space that simply wasn’t there before", she tells me. "What’s most exciting is seeing the next generation of creatives coming through with such distinct voices and perspectives. You only have to look at what comes down the runway at Country to Couture in Darwin each August to feel that energy — there is depth, innovation, and a strong connection to culture shaping the future of fashion”.

Based in Coledale on Dharawal Country, sun-drenched swim label van Ermel Scherer is slated to be one of the most promising shows of the week. Founded by proud Larrakia woman Verity Ermel Scherer, the label was named in honour of her late-grandmother, a courageous survivor of the Stolen Generations. Featuring silk crepe kaftans and vibrant swimsuits, Ermel Scherer's collections are imbued with a sense of enduring female strength. Gomeroi designer Colleen Tighe Johnson, the creative force behind Buluuy Mirrii, is no stranger to the international spotlight, having already exhibited her work at Paris and New York Fashion Weeks. With her label set to make its standalone debut at Australian Fashion Week next month, the milestone feels like a natural progression in her already impressive journey.

Cementing her label as a mainstay in the fashion landscape — eight years after its inception — the future is brimming with opportunity in Francisco's eyes. "To see Australian Fashion Week actively championing and creating space for our designers is an important and necessary progression", she explains. "It signals that we do belong in the Australian high-end fashion landscape — not as a separate category, but as peers. It reinforces that First Nations design is not peripheral, but central to the future of Australian fashion."

For Francisco, the influence of having a force like AFW behind you isn’t lost on her. “Ngali has always thought beyond the immediate, considering the extended network of creatives in all forms who exist within the orbit of fashion. Increased visibility through AFW has supported that thinking. It also highlights and reinforces the responsibility that comes with having a platform”.

Gearing up for a return to the AFW lights, she's ready to soak it all in. “Returning to the mainstage with a dedicated runway is a moment to reflect on that journey, but also to look forward. I’m wishing, hoping, and genuinely looking forward to the next First Nations designer who steps into this space — because that’s where the real momentum lies — in what comes next”.