First Nations designer Saretta Fielding's Saretta The Label made it's Melbourne Fashion Week runway debut this year.

Celebrated for her designs and her ongoing community involvement, the proud Wonnarua woman told Style Up (a National Indigenous Times publication) her brand "grew from creating artworks connected to Country and sharing them with my family and community".

"I had always worked within Aboriginal community organisations, and a few pieces I displayed around our offices prompted encouragement from colleagues and community to share my work more publicly," she said.

"I was on the founding board of Yarnteen Ltd, an Aboriginal community organisation, when fellow board member Paul Gordon rang and asked whether I had artwork for a Bush Tucker cafés launch at Newcastle Foreshore.

"It was quite daunting putting my heart and cultural stories onto canvas for others to see, but lovely to discover that people connected with them. That experience reignited my childhood dream of becoming an artist.

"I began exhibiting and entering competitions, and was fortunate to receive awards, including winning the Ray-Ban Indigenous design competition. That was a real turning point."

Speaking on her recent runway at Melbourne Fashion Week, Fielding said it was truly an honour to be apart of such a special and rewarding experience.

"This was my first Melbourne Fashion Week, and it was a dream come true," she said.

"I had previously shown pieces at a cultural diversity runway at Customs House in Sydney and at Yabun Sydney festival runway, but receiving an invitation to Melbourne Fashion Week was one of those pinch-yourself moments.

"So when the email invitation arrived, I was all in. I haven't told too many people this, but the runway fell in the middle of our family cruise around New Zealand.

"I got off in Auckland and flew to Melbourne because there was no way I wanted to miss it."

Fielding said the creative energy of the First Nations runway was "wonderful".

"Lindyn Rowland did an amazing job styling my pieces, showing how creatively they could be worn," she said.

"There's also a lovely hometown connection: he grew up in the same town. Seeing his creativity bring the pieces together was very special, and I'm excited to see where he goes next in fashion."

Fielding said the collection she exhibited at MFW puts fashion into the hands of the women who are purchasing it.

"The collection I showed cased featured 12 of my original artworks printed to natural fabrics," she said.

"It's a collection that really puts fashion into the hands of the women who purchase the pieces, as they complement wardrobes from young through to older women.

"With pieces providing versatility in style from the sarongs, kaftans, and scarves, as they can be worn in a multiply ways to complement casual or evening wear and created into unique outfits to suit the wearer from skirts, tops, boleros, and dresses, as well as heads scarves and belts."

Fielding said her inspiration comes from "a love of art and natives with designs sharing our country's first culture, palettes of country, and stories of people, community and relationships".

"Each piece carries the original artwork, its name and its story on the label. I want the person wearing it to understand the cultural meaning and feel able to share that story when someone asks about the design," she said.

"I'm drawn to the ever-changing canvases we see across Country: waterways and mountains at dawn or dusk, and the way weather transforms their colours. I love capturing those palettes and the feeling they evoke.

"When someone sees the fabric, I hope the colour and texture stir an emotion and draw them closer to the artwork and its story."

Curating an emotionally charged yet beautiful runway presentation, Fielding hoped audience members walked away with a deeper meaning of First Nations culture and art, ultimately understanding how the two come together in her designs.

"My hope is that people are first drawn to the beauty of the artwork, the colour and the way the fabric moves, and that this sparks a desire to learn more," she said.

"Each design holds a story, and the label provides an invitation to understand and share it.

"Fashion creates a lovely opportunity for those conversations to happen in everyday life. I want people to imagine themselves wearing the artwork, styling it in a way that reflects who they are, and feeling confident sharing the meaning behind it.

"For me, that's a beautiful way to invite others to connect with and celebrate our continuing culture."

Looking ahead, the talented designer is eager to continue growing her brand and its range of pieces.

"I'm currently developing a new collection featuring new artworks and exploring some different approaches today and evening wear," Fielding said.

"There's a vision I've carried for some time, and I'm now giving myself the space to work through the designs and bring those ideas to life. I'm interested in creating distinctive pieces that offer something unexpected on the runway while remaining wearable.

"I want to keep exploring how the artwork can work with the shape and movement of a garment, sharing culture in ways that feel fresh and true to my practice.

"Melbourne has been such an encouraging experience, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this next collection takes me.

"I feel very fortunate to do what I love and share my culture and stories through art and design."

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