Honouring the work of five of the seven winning designers, the Canberra Centre will this month welcome a showcase of award-winning designs from the winners of the 2024 National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA).

On display from August 21 through to September 11, the fashion orientated exhibition will also display images of celebrated local Wiradjuri artist and former ACT NAIDOC Artist of the year, Kristie Peters, whose designs were featured in this year's Country to Couture runway show.

Recognising and showcasing excellence across seven categories including traditional adornment, textile design, fashion design, wearable art, young achiever, community collaboration and business achievement, the award ceremony presented a unique opportunity for the Australian and international fashion community to recognise Indigenous excellence and expression.

For the third consecutive year Canberra Centre sponsored the National Indigenous Fashion Awards Community Collaboration, which strives to celebrate effective and productive relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the textile and fashion industry.

The award also considers the collaborative process, Indigenous agency, cultural expression and storytelling, social and economic contribution to Indigenous communities, originality and innovation.

This year the recipients of the award were Melissa Greenwood, Miimi & Jiinda x Gilat Shani for Unreal Fur, a collaboration that created a culturally distinctive capsule collection with a focus on giving back to the community through their support of New South Wales first bilingual Aboriginal language school, Giingana Gumbaynggirr Freedom School.

The original artwork they designed, Girwaa, depicts ancestral birthing caves and is representative of family, community, and connection, serving as a reminder of their shared origins and the importance of love, care, and respect, with a focus on unity.

Their award-winning jacket also formed part of this year's showcase.

Manager Gary Stewart said the Canberra Centre team were proud to be able to sponsor the Community Collaboration award and host the winning designs at the Centre.

"We're proud to sponsor the Community Collaboration NIFA and host these exceptional designs at the Canberra Centre," he said.

"This showcase is a testament to the rich and diverse creativity of First Nations artists and fashion designers."

Other collections on display at Canberra Centre include the winner of the Wearable Art Award, Lillardia, who since 2019 has built her label from a small rural community in south-west NSW where she works exclusively on Country.

Her award-winning woven headpiece is inspired by her kinship line and features hand-turned silk roulade, freshwater mussel beads, silk thread, and seed.

Lillardia uses waste dye and ink in her New South Wales studio, and dedicated more than 100 hours to the creation of this one stunning piece.

Recipient of NIFA's Business Achievement Award supported by QIC, Ngali by Denni Francisco, is a testament to both exceptional success in commercial and creative realms of textiles and fashion.

The label stands at the forefront of Indigenous fashion on an international scale.

A woven basket by Philomena Yeatman from Yarrabah Arts & Cultural Precinct – supported by Helen Kaminski, was the winner of the Traditional Adornment Award, and a colour screen printing by Jay Jurrupula Rostron for Bábbarra Women's Centre, supported by RMIT took honours in the Textile Design Award.

Both will feature in the Canberra Centre showcase.

Local Wiradjuri artist Kristie Peters will also have her work displayed at Canberra Centre.

"We've been privileged to support the journey of Wiradjuri artist Kristie Peters, from her debut mural at our centre to her inaugural BlakLabel Dreaming fashion show," Mr Stewart said.

"Her incredible progress and the passion she brings to her work are truly inspiring, and we're excited to see her continue to grow and make a difference, alongside other talented First Nations artists."

With a series of eye-catching garments on display, the public is encouraged to head to Canberra Centre and browse the unique and award-winning designs.

The National Indigenous Fashion Awards showcase will be on display at Canberra Centre until September 11, 2024.

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