A Spotlight on: Sustainable Australian Indigenous Fashion

Abstract

Although Australian Indigenous inspirations and motifs have been used in fashion design for decades, notably in textiles, the design of contemporary fashion and sculptural forms by Indigenous artists is relatively new (Maynard 2001; Craik 2016, in press; Rothwell 2016). This spotlight explores a new genre of Australian Indigenous fashion through reference to the work of two emerging Australian Indigenous creatives, Elisa Jane Carmichael and Grace Lillian Lee. We propose that the work of both Carmichael and Lee evidences an exciting new development in sustainable fashion practice. While the translation and appropriation of Aboriginal artworks onto textiles and clothing like T-shirts as popular Australiana fashion and souvenir items has proliferated, the recognition of a distinctive fashion aesthetic by Indigenous designers has been relatively recent (Jones 2017). It reflects a new phase of Aboriginal art in contemporary Australia in which traditional culture has become just one element in a hybrid mix of cultural interpretation, adaptation and innovation. Indigenous fashion has become part of a broader artistic expression embracing a mix of visual culture, performance and objects that are both ‘tradition-based and blazingly new’ (Rothwell 2016). The phase of Indigenous cultural expression embodies the re-discovery and re-connection by fashion designers with their cultural heritage as they create new aesthetic codes and cultural tropes. This process is sustainable in several respects: as reviving Indigenous cultural and community expression that offers creative pursuits to new generations that revitalise their sense of identity and heritage while offering career prospects and external recognition (NITV 2017; Rootsey 2016). Equally, it re-connects Indigenous people with their land and spiritual inspirations by using traditional, natural and found materials in the creation of their artistic works including textiles, fashion and sculptural forms. Finally, in creating new and innovative cultural forms, Australian Indigenous fashion is forging a respected place in the lexicon of western fashion that is in the process of re-evaluating the importance and significance of Aboriginal culture. In sum, Indigenous fashion design is sustainable in ethical, environmental, and consumerist terms as well as revitalising Indigenous communities (Durham 2017). As well as a highlight of fashion weeks and art events, Indigenous fashion designers have attracted the acclaim of major international galleries and joined the Global Indigenous Runway (Creative Victoria 2017; Indigenous Runway Project 2017).