fashion

Wiradjuri designer Denni Francisco brings Ngali back to the Australian Fashion Week runway

Phoebe Blogg Published May 15, 2025 at 9.30am (AWST)

Ngali models on the runway at Australian Fashion Week. (Image: supplied/Courtesy of AFW)

First Nations fashion designer Denni Francisco showcased Nagli's newest release, The Yawa: Journey Collection, on the Australian Fashion Week runway on Thursday.

Bringing the brand's signature fusion of artistry, storytelling, and sophistication to the country's most influential fashion stage, The Yawa: Journey Collection is a continuation of Ngali's mission to celebrate the gifts of Indigenous artistic expression and storytelling.

The collection weaves together the powerful translated works of First Nations art with a photographic essay by Francisco.

"With The Yawa: Journey Collection, we continue our mission to celebrate the strength and beauty of Indigenous storytelling through wearable art. This collection is deeply personal – it speaks to the paths we walk individually and together, and the spirit of guidance we receive from our ancestors and the land," she said.

"In this collection we've created pieces that honour culture, Country, and community. It's about walking in unity, being seen, and sharing stories that transcend time through fabric and form."

*Ngali on the runway at Australian Fashion Week. (Image: supplied/Courtesy of AFW)*

Francisco stayed true to her roots and utilised hues that resembled country - the ochres of the land, the shifting blues and soft rusts of the sky, and the deep, flowing tones of waterways.

With Ngali typically creating garments that fuse functionality with fluidity and comfort, The Yawa: Journey Collection offered a variety of garments that effortlessly fell against the models' bodies with the prints acting as the heroes of the garments.

Ngali's collections are shaped by continuity - now seven years in the making, each layer adding to what has gone before. This slow, deliberate rhythm reflects First Nations ways of being: grounded, enduring, and always in relationship with land and community. The Yawa: Journey Collection is a continuation of this story, a celebration of connection, and a journey shared.

Having previously showcased a solo collection at Australian Fashion Week in 2023, Milan and Jakarta Fashion Weeks in 2022, and featured in group runway shows at Melbourne Fashion Week, Ngali's standing in the industry continues to soar.

Ngali partners include, Australian Fashion Council, Commonwealth Bank Australia, Original & Mineral Australia, Bioderma and Caudalie Skin.

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