Eight years in, Ngali returns to Australian Fashion Week for its third runway showing. Founded by Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco, the label has built its reputation on translating First Nations artwork, storytelling and cultural knowledge into contemporary clothing. Francisco works directly with artists through a model centred on permission, royalties and long-term collaboration rather than extraction or imitation. As Indigenous fashion continues to expand its presence within the Australian cre
creative industry, Ngali brings traditional narratives into a modern retail context while keeping authorship and responsibility intact. Ahead of the brand’s latest AFW presentation, Inside Retail spoke with Francisco about building a fashion label around the idea of “we”, and the challenge of creating commercial growth without disconnecting the garments from the communities and stories they represent.
Inside Retail (IR): Ngali translates to “we” or “us”. As the brand has grown, has that idea become harder to hold onto, or more important than ever?
Denni Francisco (DF): I don’t think it’s changed. It’s at the heart of who we are, how we do business. I’ve been very aware of what can be achieved when we come together in a collective way, and so it’s just an automatic way of doing business.
For example, putting a collection together, you put it together, you get it ready to show on a runway and you see it all in your mind – you think you’ve got it right. And then the stylist might come along and say, “what if I put that with that?” – I never thought of that. I think having that space allows things to emerge that might not happen otherwise.
IR: Can you walk me through how an artwork moves from an artist’s practice into a finished garment?
DF: I’m always really careful, and we have to be really respectful when we approach an artist. I tend to be able to see an artwork and visualise how it could be translated into a fabric print. Then it’s about approaching the artist.
Artworks are always the artist’s story and it’s important not to do anything that disrespects that story. So we talk to the artist, whether it’s something they want to do. Sometimes we might take a small piece of that artwork and translate that to a fabric print.
We go back to the artist and ask what they think. Anything we do, we get the artist’s permission on. We don’t commission artworks for fabric prints. The artist has the story in the artwork, they sell that artwork, and what we do gives them a passive income stream through royalties.
IR: Returning to Australian Fashion Week eight years in, what feels different this time?
DF: It’s interesting when you have a vision and an idea of something you want to have happen. I think what fashion can do is really important because it opens a lot of doors. It’s a soft entry point for people to know more about who we are and our culture.
That was the start of the journey. I was surprised that people stepped into it and that we got the reaction we have had over the past eight years. It fulfils a need in the marketplace.
IR: There’s clearly growing momentum for First Nations creatives. Do you feel the industry is doing enough to support that growth?
DF: I think we do get support and there are grants there. But I think what’s lacking is strategy and longevity. If we go to something like Jakarta Fashion Week, there’s investment to get us there, but to leverage that and move forward, nothing happens.
The fashion industry is a $27 billion industry and a $7.2 billion export industry. It’s more than beer and wine. Creativity is so incredibly powerful with our First Nations people. It’s a huge opportunity that is missed. If there was a strategy to take people on that journey to economic outcome, rather than just promotion or celebration, that would make a difference.
IR: As Ngali grows, how do you ensure the cultural meaning behind each piece stays intact at scale?
DF: The really important part is that Ngali comes with a story. Everything that we do comes with story. If we’re looking at new wholesalers, what they get first is who we are, our vision, our why of being in business and the responsibility around our culture and communities.
Each garment comes with a story. What’s happening around the world is the growth in conscious consumerism. People want to know more about where something comes from. It’s not perfect, but if we can embed everything in the story of who we are and why we do what we do, that’s a solid platform. We always have to be mindful that our intellectual property and culture is protected.
Further reading: First Nations fashion design can be a powerful method of healing
