SME owners are among the winners of the 2024 National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA) who will be showcased at the Canberra Centre from today.
The collection will feature the work of five of the seven winning designers and display images of small-business owner Kristie Peters, who founded Yarrudhamarra Creations and BlakLabel Dreaming
Melissa Greenwood’s Miimi and Jiinda collaborated with Gilat Shani’s Unreal Fur on an original artwork for the Centre. The two small-business owners, pictured above with their creation, produced wearable artwork in the form of a jacket. The piece, titled Girwaa, depicts ancestral birthing caves and represents family, community, and connection.
Other collections on display at Canberra Centre include the winner of the Wearable Art Award, Lillardia. In 2019, she launched her own label from a small rural community in south-west NSW.
Another small business, Ngali by Denni Francisco, won NIFA’s Business Achievement Award. Ngali collaborates with Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander artists, translating their remarkable works in painting, photography and artistic creation into wearable clothing and collectibles.
The works will be on display until September 11th, 2024.
