First Nations menswear brand Gali Swimwear (GALI) is making waves with its niche designs, engaging colourways and culturally crafted pieces.

Founded on Bondi Beach by proud Kamilaroi man and volunteer surf lifesaver David Leslie, GALI fuses First Nations culture with sustainable swimwear.

"In 2025, we expanded into new parts of Europe, launched our first swim shorts, grew our towel range, and released a new collection in collaboration with Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay and Biripi artist Dennis Golding," Leslie told Style Up.

"Each step helped us evolve the brand while staying grounded in our purpose; sharing Indigenous stories through swimwear that gives back.

"Like many businesses, the introduction of tariffs in the US pushed us to think about how we expand internationally. Since launching, GALI has built a strong and loyal customer base in the US, and we wanted to ensure we could continue to grow sustainably.

"We spent time working with agencies and industry experts, seeking advice on international growth and best practices. As a result, we're now developing launch strategies for our swim shorts range across the Northern Hemisphere."

Kamilaroi model Trent Owers wearing Gali, featuring the art of the late Pauline Napangardi Gallagher (Warlukurlangu Artists). Image: Jose Yutiu.

This month GALI hit a remarkable milestone - $100,000 in artist royalties and donations to community projects.

"That moment really sums up what GALI is about: designing beautiful, meaningful pieces and creating economic opportunities for artists and communities," Leslie said.

The designer noted his experience as a surf lifesaver led to him taking more notice of what people were wearing on the beach and where there are gaps in the market.

"We're expanding our designs across our new swim shorts and finalising development on resort shorts, which we started working on in 2025 and plan to launch in 2027," he said.

"GALI's swim shorts are designed with comfort, fit, and versatility front of mind. They feature a tailored cut, lightweight and quick-dry fabric, and a comfortable fit that works in the water and beyond.

"The design leans into a relaxed streetwear feel, making them easy to wear from the beach to everyday life."

Leslie said the launch planned for next year includes five designs drawn from three existing GALI swimwear collections. Each artwork has been carefully translated from swim briefs into swim shorts, maintaining the integrity of the original designs while offering a new silhouette.

"It gives customers more choice in how they wear GALI, while continuing to share Indigenous art and culture through wearable, everyday pieces," he said.

"​​Launching swim shorts is about creating swimwear that people feel comfortable wearing. I wear both briefs and shorts myself, and being out on surf patrol I notice what people wear on the beach. Australia has always been the home of swim briefs, but in other countries some men prefer to wear swim shorts over swim briefs.

"The launch of swim shorts has been guided by conversations with our artists and customers. Their feedback helped shape our shorts that are a tailored fit, comfortable, high-quality materials — swimwear that feels good to wear, looks great, and moves with you."

Leslie said the fashion industry is welcoming more male Indigenous brands and designers.

"There's definitely momentum in men's First Nations fashion, and it's exciting to see the field expanding. There are so many incredible Indigenous brands doing amazing work in menswear. House of Darwin, Joseph & James, Take Pride Movement, Kirrikin, Magpie Goose, Gammin Threads, Kaninda, YAPA MALI, By Josh Deane, just to name just a few," he said.

Looking ahead, Leslie said GALI has multiple new projects kicking off in 2026.

"We have two new artist collaborations in the works. We're hoping to launch one as part of NAIDOC Week and the second towards the end of the year, bringing new stories and artworks to our swimwear and towel ranges," he said.

"We've started development on a men's resort wear line, taking GALI beyond swimwear. The collection is designed for relaxed, everyday wear with the same focus on culture, creativity, and quality that our swimwear is known for. It's all about bringing the GALI lifestyle to more moments of life, wherever you are.

Leslie went on to confirm that 2026 will also see the brand merge into resort wear.

"This year, we're focusing on designing resort wear, starting with resort shorts. We started working on them last year, with the aim of launching in 2027.

"Like our swim shorts, they'll have a tailored fit, comfortable materials, and be designed for everyday wear — swimwear people actually feel-good in."

Kamilaroi model Trent Owers wearing Gali, featuring the art of Jake Simon. Image: Jose Yutiu.

Leslie said GALI was excited about the prospect of collaborating with an emerging First Nations artist for the launch of resort wear.

"Their water-inspired artworks are vibrant, full of life, and instantly captured our imagination," he said.

"We hope to work with them and their art centre to translate their stories into wearable pieces that we can share with new audiences. This resort wear collection we aim to showcase on runways in Australia and internationally in 2027/28."

Leslie balances his own inspiration with community input, consumer sentiment and market demand.

As the talented designer enters 2026 with an abundance of inspiration, he reflected on his early days of designing, explaining how sometimes you don't find inspiration; it finds you.

"Sometimes an artwork just stops you in your tracks. That happened during COVID when I first saw Pauline Napangardi Gallagher's Lukarrara Jukurrpa (Desert Fringe-Rush Seed Dreaming) online, right when we were planning the launch of GALI. The energy, the movement, the way the story was told through the artwork...it completely shaped how I thought about translating Indigenous art onto men's swimwear," he said.

"Now, as we plan our resort wear collection, I feel that same excitement seeing an emerging artist's water-inspired works. The way their pieces move and feel already points us in a fresh direction for GALI, while customer feedback continues to shape what people want to wear.

"It's this mix of inspiration, collaboration, and listening to our community that's guiding the next chapter for the brand."