As January 26 approaches, brands are starting to signal their values to their customers. While retailers may wish to be exempt from the national Australia Day debat, a simple ‘open’ or ‘closed’ sign or decision to stock Australian flag merchandise says it all. While some retailers have reversed course on their support for changing the date after the failed Voice to Parliament referendum and public backlash, Melbourne-based social enterprise and fashion label Homie is standing in solidari
arity with First Nations people on January 26.
Its Fitzroy store on Brunswick Street will be keeping its doors open for customers and there will be no changes to its trading hours or operations.
“We recognise that for First Nations people, this date is anything but a day of celebration – rather, a day of mourning and survival,” Stephanie Say, Homie CEO, told Inside Retail.
“We acknowledge the impact of colonisation on Indigenous communities is enduring and harmful, and January 26 marks the painful beginning of this trauma.”
Homie’s message is clear: “We’re not celebrating on January 26 – and nor should Australia at large. It’s a date that represents significant pain and loss for First Nations people,” said Say.
Leading with values
After the failed Voice To Parliament referendum in 2023, social enterprise and popular merch brand Clothing the Gaps launched into action with its ‘Not a Date to Celebrate’ campaign and petition.
For Homie, supporting the campaign was a no-brainer. The synergy between the two brands is obvious – they are both purpose-driven social enterprises operating in the retail industry with great success.
“Leading with our values is an important part of HoMie’s DNA. We exist to support young people affected by homelessness and hardship, and we know that First Nations people are overrepresented in homelessness statistics in this country thanks to intergenerational trauma and systemic failure,” shared Say.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 20.6 per cent of all people experiencing homelessness in Australia, despite representing only 3.8 per cent of the total population.
“We believe First Nations people should never be homeless on their own land, and it’s important for us to show leadership in this space as an organisation in the homelessness sector,” Say stated.
As a supporter of Clothing the Gaps’ ‘Not a Date to Celebrate’ campaign, in addition to not observing the public holiday in its retail store, Homie will be lending its brand to the petition website, sharing content across its own social media channels and displaying the campaign poster in its shop window.
“We’ll be having important conversations of our own during the week of January 26, and sparking new ones within our own networks to help spread the message,” Say said.
Taking collective action
The retail industry continues to make headlines around January 26 annually, as consumers look to them to mirror the social temperature.
“I think there is real power for the retail sector as a whole to stimulate the conversation and spark change – collective action works,” stated Say.
“As one of the industries most financially and operationally impacted by public holidays, choosing not to observe the January 26 holiday and opening as usual sends a very strong message to the community,” she added.