First Nations designer label Ngali is preparing for global expansion following five years of growth.
To finance this, the label launched its first-ever crowdfunding initiative via Birchal.
Founder Denni Francisco told Ragtrader the funding will be used to expand the number of First Nations artists Ngali collaborates with, as well as pursue global opportunities in e-commerce and wholesale, and to grow Ngali’s internal team.
“This is exciting and a little overwhelming,” Francisco said. “We decided to do this after 12 months of contemplation and deliberation. Finally our decision to go ahead was founded in our business ethos of ‘Together we Create’.
“We could see that this funding would provide the opportunity to increase a royalty stream to more of our artists, through domestic and international business growth."
Ngali offers First Nations artists royalty-based income by promoting their artworks on apparel and accessories.
“It would also mean that, with the growth of our business, we can make a greater financial contribution to the education of our children living in remote areas of Australia.”
The crowdfunding launch comes as Francisco won the Australian Fashion Laureate’s Indigenous Designer of the Year 2023 award this month.
This came amid various milestones for the brand in 2023, including its first-ever standalone runway at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week, as well as global exhibition inclusions in London, The Hague and Vienna.
Ngali was also recently featured in a runway at Dubai Fashion Week this month, at the same time when Francisco was announced as a winner at Australian Fashion Laureate.
Speaking on the award win, Francisco said the award means that more and more First Nations fashion brands are taking their place in the Australian fashion landscape.
“It confirms that we have a contribution to make,” she said. “It also recognises the talent that exists in the space of our First Nations artists as it is their artwork that we respectfully translate in our collections.
“Awards are always a collective process and I love that.”
In prior years, Ngali has appeared at Milan Fashion Week and Jakarta Fashion Week, as well as collaborated with or supplied major brands such as Mecca, David Jones, National Gallery of Victoria and Longitude 131.
First Nations fashion models Samantha Harris and Elaine George have also supported the brand.
“The process of our work operates through the lens of Yindayamarra - fashion that shows respect, is polite, considered, gentle to Country and shows honour to the cross country collaborations we have with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives,” Francisco said.
“This ensures that we hold strong on our values and our way of doing business, particularly when we navigate new markets and new opportunities.”
Ngali translates to ‘we’ or ‘us’ in a number of Aboriginal languages. Francisco said connection and community are key drivers for the brand.
“Art is a lens through which our people see, understand and communicate with others,” added Francisco.
“At Ngali we want more people to know who we are, who we’ve always been, and that there is much to celebrate as the home to the oldest continuous living culture in the world.”
Ngali has recorded a compound annual growth rate of 90.98% per year, and has doubled its customer base year-on-year across Australia.
At Melbourne Fashion Week later this month, Ngali will be featured across two events, including the 101 Collins Runway on October 28 and a High Tea Q&A in partnership with Pullman Melbourne on the Park on October 24.