Australian Aboriginal Textiles: Value Beyond Fashion

Abstract

Screen-printed textiles from Aboriginal art centers are more than just commercial products. Closely connected with Aboriginal “ways of being,” they carry profound and often ancient stories from the world’s oldest continuous culture and offer consumers a glimpse into a different world. Their creation supports remote livelihoods and culturally affirming practises which contribute to social and emotional wellbeing. But as this paper shows, the recent enthusiasm for Aboriginal textiles in the fashion industry pits the enduring cultural narratives embodied in the textiles against the transient and unpredictable forces of the fashion market. There have been many positive translations to fashion; however, the accessible and reproducible aspects of cloth render a vulnerability to exploitation in the mass fashion world. It is now time for all parties to establish transparent business principles and a clear code of ethics to guide commercial partnerships and guarantee artist control over their ancestral heritage. Fashion displays and promotes Indigenous cultural heritage in a unique way, but for these textiles, there are a range of alternative iterations that portray a timelessness beyond fashion.

Keywords:

• Aboriginal screen-printed textiles
• cultural enterprise
• fashion
• Indigenous fashion
• intercultural partnerships

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Merrepen Arts, Culture and Language Corporation, Hopevale Arts and Culture, as well as Bábbarra Women’s Center for facilitating the use of the images.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bobbie [Angela] Ruben

Bobbie Ruben is a printmaker and designer who consults, educates and collaborates with Aboriginal artists in the development of textile designs and limited-edition prints on paper. Since 2003 she has assisted artists in remote art centers with the design and production of new textile designs and is committed to the progress and sustainability of a number of Aboriginal textile operations. She is undertaking a PhD at James Cook University in the field of Aboriginal screen-printed textiles. [email protected]

Malcolm McDonald

Malcolm McDonald is a specialist physician, educator and researcher. He has longstanding involvement in the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Island people in the Northern Territory and Far North Queensland. Over his career he has worked in rural and remote settings in Australia, USA, East Africa, Indonesia, PNG and the Southwest Pacific.

Stephen Naylor

Professor Stephen Naylor has been an active participant in education and the creative arts for more than 40 years. Currently he is Chair of the Academic Board of James Cook University (JCU) and serves on a number of Boards where he provides expertise on governance and contemporary Art in a global context.