If there were ever a backdrop for a fashion parade, it would have to be the Pindan hues of the Kimberley.
Picture Broome's Town Beach Jetty as the runway, jutting out over Roebuck Bay's aqua waters as models strut in designs reflective of the region. The Kimberley Aboriginal Fashion Textiles Art (KAFTA) fashion parade returns on 1 June, showcasing designs and textiles crafted by local Aboriginal artists, including those from Nagula Jarndu Designs, a not-for-profit arts centre empowering Aboriginal women.
Established in 1987, Nagula Jarndu Designs is open to local Aboriginal women practising art or interested in the arts. With free membership to around 100, a core group of between 10 and 20 artists work and sell their work onsite, with much of the inspiration drawn from the region's flora and fauna.
The centre also serves as a launchpad to a broader audience, such as KAFTA and the art market Revealed: New and Emerging WA Aboriginal Artists, returning to the WA Museum Boola Bardip on 12 April, showcasing the art of over 400 artists from across the state.
For the Country to Couture fashion show running on 5 August alongside the Darwin Art Fair, Nagula Jarndu Designs has partnered with Saheli Women, a similar women's initiative in India's Rajasthan. Also dedicated to empowering women through the arts, Saheli's ethos of embracing cultural heritage with sustainable fashion aligns well with Nagula Jarndu Designs' celebration of preserving the skills and stories passed down through the generations.
Nagula Jarndu Designs studio coordinator Tanya Lee said: "The collaboration is a cultural exchange. So much goes into making just one piece of fashion and all the intricacies of the process."
Evoking a sense of place is at the heart of Nagula Jarndu Designs. Artist Cecelia (Lala) Tigan continues the local knowledge inspired by her father, who is renowned for his widely exhibited riji (pearl carvings). Cecelia's aerial patterns feature ancient methods of creating fish traps from rocks, as well as stingrays, whirlpools and shells.
Artist Dena Gower was drawn to the animals and plants that she encountered during her upbringing. The swans that appear in her Marlee (the Noongar word for white swan) print was inspired by the "white swan" nickname her brother gave their mother as a term of endearment.
"It's all about identity," says Tanya. "The art contains cultural information and speaks about country."
While some of the art is traditional, Martha Lee's Yalirragub Buru (meaning "our place from before") sketch, transferred to linen and silk and featuring corrugated iron buildings depicts a time before Broome became a tourist destination.
Nagula Jarndu Designs has been instrumental for several artists who also practice independently and have moved into the public art space, including Amanda Rose Lee, whose earrings are sold nationwide. Other artists have gone on to win accolades, such as Rowena Morgan, who won the National Indigenous Fashion Award for Textile Design in 2023 and launched her first fashion collection in 2024.
Nagula Jarndu translates to "saltwater woman" and honours the saltwater country they live on and their stories. It articulates the food they eat and what it is like to live on the coast, peppered with mangroves. In keeping with inclusivity, artists living inland near freshwater are also welcome, demonstrating through their art the differences in the land where the fishing practices, flora, fauna and diet vary depending on whether they live coastal or inland.
Tanya shares, "It's an incredible art centre as it supports artists and the community. It's a loving place. They take big risks that pay off."
