Indigenous models wore locally-designed clothes decorated by vivid colours and Aboriginal patterns during the SKUTTA '26 fashion parade in Fitzroy Crossing on Tuesday evening.

The young male and female models, many aged only in their teens, strutted a sand catwalk on the serene banks of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River, as the sun set on an appreciative crowd of several hundred people.

The community-led event, organised by Marra Worra Worra Aboriginal Corporation, also involved live music and pop-up stalls selling Indigenous-made accessories, clothes and artworks. It was part of a two-day event in Fitzroy Crossing, which concluded with the opening of its upgraded Night Space, the highly successful youth centre run by Marra Worra Worra Aboriginal Corporation.

At SKUTTA models wore garments created by local designers, like Jonian Nargoodah, who with her family runs Rukaji Designs, based out of the Jimbalakudunj Community near Fitzroy Crossing. The label hand dyes scarves and sarongs, in particular, which are coloured not with chemicals, but traditional organic bush dyes.

Ms Nargoodah's foray into fashion designing began with learning to make prints on linoleum. She said she retains a connection to Country via her work by foraging in bush for natural dye ingredients, like bark, leaves and plants. The patterns used by Rukaji, meanwhile, blend tie-dye with motifs and symbols commonly seen in Indigenous art, including native animals.

She said being a First Nations fashion designer was a challenge due to the robust competition from the many other gifted Indigenous designers.

"But our brand is unique because it's from Country," Ms Nargoodah said.

She hoped her work would inspire a new generation of young Indigenous people to express their creativity.

"I want them to be part of it, too," she said, encouraging Fitzroy Crossing kids to join the town's arts program. "The younger they are, the more they can handle it (the learning process)".

This view was shared by Fitzroy Crossing resident Kelly Stephens, who took her kids to the fashion show hoping it would give them a sense of the varied opportunities in their future.

"The confidence of the young people of the valley modelling on that runway today has really highlighted how confident they can be," Mrs Stephens observed. "And I think it's wonderful to see how many families were here supporting people on that runway."

Many of the Indigenous youngsters who designed clothes or modelled have studied under Jacque Bikim, the textiles teacher at Fitzroy Valley Senior High School. She teaches students from year 7 to 12, and was delighted by the professional appearance of the SKUTTA '26 fashion parade, which was an invaluable showcase for developing designers.

"Every year I can see an improvement with those kids," Mrs Bikim said of her students. "Many of them started off being unsure of their skill, not sure if they could create something beautiful. But week by week they started believing in themselves a bit more and once they have finished, and created something beautiful, you can see how proud they can feel."

The community were delighted with SKUTTA '26, said Deborah Carter, community programs manager for Marra Worra Worra Aboriginal Corporation.

"Heaps and heaps of positive feedback," she said.

"Everyone can't wait for SKUTTA 2027. I think SKUTTA provides a different space for our young people, other than sports. We have a community that is so creative, so talented, and we wanted that space so they can shine and be celebrated by our whole community. We're super proud. And that's what we want for all our young people in the valley, to be proud of who they are, where they come from and really embrace themselves."

Fitzroy Crossing resident Josh Crisp praised the parade, and said he hoped it would encourage more residents to join the town's many arts programs.

"Marra Worra Worra (Aboriginal Corporation) have a couple of arts programs on the go at the moment where community members can come and get involved in any type of arts and craft," Mr Crisp said. "Whether it be clothing, whether it be painting, it would be nice to boost people's creativity".

The fashion show is called "Skutta" a word that means to carry yourself with confidence and show pride in your Indigenous heritage.