On the eve of Australian Fashion Week 2026, members of Australia’s fashion community from all backgrounds gathered at Artspace to witness the excellence of First Nations fashion design at RECLAMATION. From a side-of-runway vantage point, the power and presence in the room was undeniable. Beyond being a triumphant display of craftsmanship and creativity, the show marked a historic continuation of the ancient Songlines that are sacred to the core of Aboriginal storytelling.
Marking a historic return (homecoming!?) to Sydney after a four year hiatus, First Nations Fashion and Design (FNFD) is an independent First Nations-lead platform created by mob for community with a mission to dismantle and rebuild the status quo to better celebrate and showcase Indigenous excellence. In the words of FNFD founder Grace Lillian Lee (the first Indigenous Australian to present a collection during Paris Couture Fashion Week!), the notion of reclamation is not simply about visibility within existing systems. “It is about dismantling those systems and rebuilding them on our terms. Our culture is not a trend, a reference point, or a resource. It is sovereign.”
The event was a powerful reminder that First Nations fashion has always existed beyond the confines of institutional recognition, much like the broader legacy of Blak art itself.
– Clare
The night brought together six First Nations designers: Tjarlirli & Kaltukatjara Arts, Nungala Creative, MumRed,Merrepen Arts, KingKing Creative and Grace Lillian Lee who, alongside a team of Indigenous models and Blak back-of-house leadership, made the magic happen. Preceded by a tear-jerking, chuckle-inducing Welcome to Country and peppered with performances of traditional dance and music, RECLAMATION was a multi-sensory immersion into Blak culture wrapped up by a high energy performance by Malyangapa, Barkindji artist BARKAA.
True to the people and cultures that helmed it, RECLAMATION left behind something far more lasting than the fleeting spectacle so often associated with Fashion Week. This was not simply a runway presentation asking for inclusion within fashion’s existing framework. The event was a powerful reminder that First Nations fashion has always existed beyond the confines of institutional recognition, much like the broader legacy of Blak art itself.
What unfolded at Artspace was not the discovery of a “new” movement, but the continuation of one of the oldest living storytelling traditions on earth.Every garment, texture, pattern, colour, silhouette and woven detail carried generations of knowledge forward while refusing to be confined by the expectations of contemporary fashion systems. RECLAMATION did not ask permission to belong in the future of Australian fashion. It asserted that First Nations creatives have always been central to its past, present and future.
In an industry obsessed with what’s next, RECLAMATION offered something far more profound: a return to culture, sovereignty and community as the foundation of creation.
– Clare
In an industry obsessed with what’s next, RECLAMATION offered something far more profound: a return to culture, sovereignty and community as the foundation of creation. And on the eve of Australian Fashion Week, there could be no clearer statement about where the true future of Australian fashion lies.
