Wittner has taken another step in its commitment to diversity and equal representation, releasing a collaboration collection with First Nations artist Alkina Edwards.
Forming part of Wittner's partnership with not-for-profit organisation Culture is Life, the new collection features five styles printed with Edwards' artwork, which explores female strength and showcases her Aboriginal culture.
The collection is the second action Wittner has taken in partnership with Culture is Life, having last year introduced Acknowledgement of Country signs in all its standalone stores.
As a proud Yorta Yorta, Wemba Wemba, Mutthi Mutthi and Wiradjuri woman, Edwards expresses the strength of women in her piece, inspired by those in her communities.
"A lot of the women in our communities are the strong healers, knowledgeable, the leaders of our communities, they are our fighters," she said.
"[When approached about the opportunity with Wittner, I] spoke to my mum, told her I was asked about the opportunity and filled her in on the theme.
"I knew it was about woman empowerment, strength – adding my own experience onto the art piece," she said.
Edwards' original piece, named Winyarr – meaning 'woman' – features a group of women aligned along the Dungala (Murray) river – a healing place for the Yorti Yorti people – linking arms in what Alkina calls "a real power move."
The print also portrays a series of patterns that are indicative of female strength and significance, including yarning circles, which symbolise women in different family groups and half ovals, which illustrate women overcoming experiences.
"Designs like this about empowerment are good for people to see, to understand more about who we are and our rich culture," Edwards added.
10% of proceeds from the collection will be donated to Culture is Life, to further its projects with young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Speaking on the partnership, Wittner CEO Catherine Williamson said the business is proud to launch the collection.
"As a fashion brand, we understand the importance of exploring and celebrating Australian identities, artwork and culture.
"We approached Alkina to collaborate with us, as we wanted to give a young, female artist the opportunity to share her voice and stories through our platform.
"Through the Winyarr collection we hope that we're able to continue to share these stories and also give back to the communities and causes that have inspired Alkina's designs," she said.
The Winyarr collection will be released on January 18.
