2014 Indigenous Fashion Week

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In April this year, Babbarra Designs was invited to present at Sydney’s inaugural Australian Indigenous Fashion Week’s Design Forum Creative Lab Sessions. An overarching theme for the forum was the building of ethical frameworks for design collaborations between fashion designers and Indigenous fabric producers. The women from Babbarra Designs spoke about their collaboration with Sydney Indigenous designer Caressa Sengstock. A collaboration sponsored by Spotlight Australia. The collection was shown on the runway at AIFW. It was the first time Raylene Bonson and Lenny Goya-Airra of Babbarra Designs had travelled to Sydney. They showed great courage speaking to a room full of fashion aficionados and media. They spoke about their work as a textile artist and textile machinist, and the importance of the sustainability of their employment for them and their families into the future. 

Text: ANKAAA BACKBONE Vol 14. Issue 1, 2014

Image:  Babbarra Designs’ Helen Lanyinwanga print Marebu, (Pandanus Mat). Translated into runway ensemble by Indigenous designer, Caressa Sengstock, for the Inaugural Australian Indigenous Fashion Week, Sydney 2014. Photo: Hamish Gregory

Participating Artists