how First Nations people take ownership of their cultural stories through fashion

By Treena Clark, University of Technology Sydney November 22, 2024 Once located 250 metres to the east of the Art Gallery of South Australia, the grand beaux-arts style Jubilee Exhibition Building was constructed to house the 1887 Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of South Australian settlement. Hosting interstate and international participants, […]

A Conversation on Indigenous and Cross-Cultural Fashion Practices

By Treena Clark, University of Technology Sydney 16 October 2024 A Conversation on Indigenous and Cross-Cultural Fashion Practices Cross-cultural exchanges help decolonise fashion practices, challenging Western norms and fostering a deeper understanding of similarities and differences that can inspire future trends. These enriching themes were recently discussed during a fashion panel in collaboration with the […]

From runways to film: the untold story of trailblazing First Nations fashion designer Stephen FitzGerald

By Treena Clark, University of Technology Sydney September 10, 2024 Read the full article at The Conversation!

How First Nations fashion design can rewrite painful memories and be a powerful method of healing

By Treena Clark, University of Technology Sydney May 24, 2024 Around the world, fashion researchers, designers and artists are exploring the links between clothing, adornment and wellbeing. “Enclothed cognition” considers the psychology of clothing, and designers are exploring how to create garments to heal the wearer. First Nations people understand the power of connection to cultural clothing and […]

First Nations Fashion, Art and Garmenting at Tarnanthi 2023

By Treena Clark, University of Technology Sydney 27 March 2024 This essay is published in Tarnanthi Reflections. In Tarnanthi Reflections, eleven First Nations writers respond in poetry and prose to the art and stories they have experienced during the 2023 Tarnanthi festival of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in Adelaide and across South […]

How First Nations artists are reclaiming colonial objects and celebrating culture through garments

By Treena Clark, University of Technology Sydney 8 February 2024 A few years back, I started collecting vintage Australian tourist scarves that portray First Nations people as primitive caricatures and noble savages. Now, I own more than ten scarves with images ranging from Western depictions of First Nations art and objects, to Indigenous people in tokenistic scenes. Collecting […]

A brief look at the long history of First Nations fashion design in Australia

By Treena Clark, University of Technology Sydney 21 December 2023 The ABC’s series The Way We Wore takes a look at stories of Australian fashion design and style. First Nations people participated in the series and spoke about various periods and tales, looking at forced clothing policies during the Stolen Generation period, the contribution of Flinders […]

Yarrabah community uses art and fashion to make statement about the Voice

By Conor Byrne and Holly Richardson, ABC Posted Wed 4 October 2023 Seven models pose solemnly for the camera and, without saying a word, let the fashion do the talking. The words emblazoned on their hand-stitched pieces for this photo shoot have a far bigger message than any fashion trend on display. “I’m hoping the […]

‘The first designers and models of this world’: attending the 2023 National Indigenous Fashion Awards

By Peter McNeil and Treena Clark, University of Technology Sydney. 17 August 2023.

A Fusion of First Nations Fashion, Art, and Style on Larrakia Country

By Treena Clark and Peter McNeil, University of Technology Sydney. 16 August 2023.