“I was a bit embarrassed when I heard this,” says Francisco,a Wiradjuri woman. “I kept thinking ‘why am I the first?’ There could be others going out there. Now there will.”
The wait won’t be long,with Ikuntji Artists from the Northern Territory taking a solo slot on Thursday. Last year,Ikuntji Artists appeared in theFirst Nations Fashion&Design group show,while Ngali was part of the Indigenous Fashion Projects group show,returning tonight.
“I asked the organisers of Fashion Week if there was an opportunity for me to return in a group show and when I was offered a solo slot,I vacillated a bit,” Francisco says. “I decided to tackle it one piece at a time,which meant dividing 30 simple looks into five blocks of six. That felt easier.”
Francisco’s humility disguises 25 years in the fashion business,including founding the direct-sales children’s wear company,Billiecart Clothing,and taking home the National Indigenous Fashion Awards’ top prize for two years running.
There is also Ngali’s participation in the Indigenous Fashion Projects program established in partnership with David Jones in 2021,which resulted in the brand being stocked at the department store and the beginning of a relationship with Country Road.
“Denni was a standout in the program because she understands the business of fashion and embraced the commercial benefits of the program,” says Brigid Veals,general manager of womenswear at David Jones. “She passes that knowledge onto others but she has also taught us so much.”