COVER STORY
LT : If you ’ re using a whole lot of Aboriginal models in your campaigns but you don ’ t have an Aboriginal person employed in your business , what does that say about how genuine and authentic you are ? The second thing is your marketing calendar . Tell me what you ’ re going to post on your socials on 26 January . Tell me what you ’ re going to post when we have another Blak death in custody . Tell me what you ’ re going to post during NAIDOC week .
Those things say a lot about where a brand sits . I ’ ll address those two points , and then usually I know if that ’ s a brand I want to work with . I ’ d also love to see more business-to-business collabs between mainstream and Indigenous brands , and I would like to see more of that wealth being invested back into Blak businesses . A collaboration that benefits Clothing The Gaps is going to benefit the other business , while allowing us to employ more Aboriginal people and do more work .
Most of the profit from many of the collaborations we currently see are sitting with that non-Indigenous business , which might not employ any Aboriginal people . They are the biggest winners in this . I think that ’ s why , when people are going to purchase Aboriginal fashion or merchandise , they should buy from Blak businesses , because the value goes directly back into that business and its employees .
YWH : You were part of last year ’ s First Nations Fashion + Design ( FNFD ) Show at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week , which was amazing . But after the runways , how else could the fashion industry offer practical support to meet the aspirations of Aboriginal-owned businesses ? LT : FNFD was able to provide me and Clothing the Gaps with a culturally safe experience of Fashion Week , and I was happy to be a part of the experience . It was such a big year for us , and me personally , winning the Business Achievement Award at the National Indigenous Fashion Awards and the Indigenous Designer of the Year at the Australian Fashion Laureate .
With the runways , I ’ ve learned that we put a whole lot of energy and focus into them , and they often don ’ t have financial rewards . When I had the chance to be on the runway , I chose to focus not just on the clothes but on the message we wanted to communicate . Our clothes are designed to make a statement , and I ’ m grateful to FNFD for allowing me to bring our own creative direction to the runway and give our First Nations models a sign that identified them and their connections to their Community and Country . It was a really powerful moment .
I ’ m motivated to be on runways to make a statement to the fashion industry and society . That ’ s why Clothing The Gaps exists . We sell merch with a message . We ’ re not for your average retailer . We ’ re conversation starters .
YWH : What ’ s next for you as a business , and what ’ s the foundation up to ? LT : Because Clothing The Gaps is national , we needed to expand the physical impact area of the Clothing The Gaps Foundation , as previously it had delivered most of the programs in Melbourne and regional Victoria .
One of the ways we now do this is through our annual NAIDOC run . Our slogan is that we ’ re a movement that encourages movement . For the last three years , we ’ ve been getting over 5000 people to participate in our annual fun runs . That ’ s a cool part of what Clothing The Gaps Foundation does , along with school education , workshops and playing Traditional Aboriginal Games .
But for Clothing The Gaps , my focus is on the Voice referendum – I honestly can ’ t think past it – and how we can use our platform to facilitate conversations . The more you know about the Voice , the more you realise the level of nuance . With Clothing The Gaps being true to its values , it ’ s a conversation that we can ’ t step away from . We want to push
Australians to think beyond how they vote on the day . It ’ s also about how they continue to talk about treaty and truthtelling . That work is very important to us . We ’ re creating more one-off pieces that create conversations around treaty , voice and truth . We ’ re excited about elevated streetwear and would like to see merch with a message on the runway . We have also been touring on Yorta Yorta Country , where we have been photographing some incredible Elders to share their stories to celebrate this year ’ s NAIDOC theme . Trust me , they look so cute in our new NAIDOC Collection . We ’ ve been spending time at the Rumbalara Elders Facility and Cummeragunja mission , and have had lots of cuppas in many homes while we filmed and collected some really special stories .
There is such an opportunity for the broader industry to further social justice causes for First Nations people . Australian businesses , brands and platforms can do so much more and , due to the amount of followers they have , their influence really is profound . This presents a unique opportunity to come together and say , ‘ We can change the way this country looks for First Nations people .’
That ’ s what excites me and is going to keep me out of my comfort zone . Retailers have a massive opportunity to change outcomes . �
Yatu Widders Hunt is a descendant of the Anaiwan and Dunghutti peoples from northwestern NSW and the general manager at social change agency Cox Inall Ridgeway .
May 2023 www . insideretail . com . au | 31