We’re thrilled to share that Nancybird and Juluwarlu Art Group have been shortlisted for the Community Collaboration Award at the 2025 National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA)! Collaboration has always been at the heart of what we do, and it’s been a true privilege to work with Yindjibarndi artist Wendy Hubert across two very special collections in fashion and now homewares.

Our journey together began with Ngurrawaana (Coming Home), a clothing and bag collection released in 2024. The pieces reflect Wendy’s expressive landscape paintings – capturing the rich colours and soft light of Yindjibarndi and Guruma Country at dusk and daybreak. Most recently, we’ve extended this partnership with a new home collection, Ganalili, bringing Wendy’s stories and connection to Country into the spaces we live in.

Gabby the Arts Centre Manager of Juluwarlu Art Group joins us to share some reflections on how this partnership came to be:

"In 2023, Juluwarlu approached Nancybird to collaborate with one of our artists, Wendy Hubert. We were drawn to Nancybird because of their sustainable ethos and their history of working with Australian landscape artists. We knew they’d appreciate Wendy’s unique style and be able to bring her work to life in a thoughtful, beautiful way.

Emily selected a number of Wendy’s artworks and began designing the range. She kept in regular contact with us; sharing concepts with Wendy for feedback and approval at every stage. When we were invited to show at the 2023 Country to Couture runway, Emily not only joined us, but also shared costs and organised a photoshoot with Michael Jalaru Torres. She made space for three young First Nations girls to be part of the shoot too which was such a special moment for them.

The clothing and bags collection launched in April 2024 and sold out quickly online. Since then, we’ve been working together on a new bedding collection, which was photographed on Country at Ngurrawaana, Wendy’s special place."

"Wendy and our CEO, Lorraine Coppin, were part of every decision, from agreeing on royalties to feeding back on the designs and taking part in the photoshoots. Everything was transparent – Emily shared production numbers and sales forecasts upfront, and we used a formal Arts Law agreement to ensure everyone was looked after.

As part of the project, Wendy received a full set of the garments and bags. We also bought stock at wholesale prices to offer it at a discounted price to our community, so more people could share in Wendy’s work and celebrate with her.

The feedback from Wendy’s family, community and customers was incredible – people felt her love of Country in every piece."

"We’re currently mentoring with Emily and the Nancybird team, including a 10-day trip to Melbourne where four of us will learn from them across design, production, marketing and logistics. Emily is generously contributing 80 hours of mentorship. Helping us learn everything from designing textiles and running an online store, to warehouse operations and offshore production. It’s an amazing opportunity for us to build knowledge and confidence for the future.”

Note from Emily: We’re so grateful to Wendy, Gabby, Lorraine and the whole Juluwarlu team for the trust and generosity they’ve brought to this creative partnership and we're looking forward to celebrating NIFA on August 6 on Larrakia Country.

Join in the celebrations on Larrakia Country for the National Indigenous Fashion Awards 2025 on Wednesday August 6! We’ll be part of the annual awards ceremony from Darwin Art Fair and Indigenous Fashion Projects, celebrating and empowering First Nations peoples in fashion and textiles. 

Tickets are available via @indigenousfashionprojects or www.ifp.org.au/nifa/ for more info.