A finalist on the other end of a phone call. A film being edited. An artwork travelling across the Country. Flights being booked from remote communities. Stories being written and shared. Partners, production, rehearsals, freight, models, music, photographs, hundreds of emails and a thousand tiny decisions.

And then suddenly, you are standing under the stars on Larrakia Country at the Deckchair Cinema, surrounded by artists, designers, families and community, and all those pieces have become something much bigger.

NIFA.

This year marked the seventh National Indigenous Fashion Awards and my second year working closely on the event with Indigenous Fashion Projects.

There is something incredibly special about being able to work on NIFA across the full journey. Long before we arrive in Darwin, I have the privilege of getting to know the finalists, their work, their communities and some of the stories sitting behind what eventually appears on screen and stage.

By awards night, they aren’t simply names in a program anymore.

You know where the work has travelled from. You know some of the hands that have made it. You know the conversations, challenges, laughter and people behind it.

That is what makes the night feel so special.

On 5 August, we gathered for a sold-out evening at Deckchair Cinema to celebrate excellence across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fashion, textiles, wearable art, traditional adornment, business, collaboration and emerging talent.

Our wonderful host, Megan Waters, returned for a third year to guide us through the evening, bringing her warmth, humour, and energy to the NIFA stage.

And beyond the Deckchair Cinema, audiences around Australia were able to join us through NITV, SBS On Demand and online. For one night, First Nations fashion and design was celebrated from Larrakia Country and shared live across homes all across Country.

The 2026 NIFA winners reflected just how expansive this creative landscape has become.

Delvene Cockatoo-Collins received the Fashion Designer Award, supported by Country Road.

Lillardia Briggs-Houston received the Textile Design Award, supported by RMIT University.

Michelle Pulatuwayu Woody Minnapinni received the Traditional Adornment Award, supported by Desart Culture First.

Lucy Simpson received the Wearable Art Award, supported by Pacific Werribee.

KAFTA received the Business Achievement Award, supported by the Canberra Centre.

Bábbarra Women’s Centre × Tharangini Studio received the Community Collaboration Award, supported by QIC.

And Jake Powers was named the 2026 Cecilia Cubillo Young Achiever, supported by Franchesca Cubillo.

Each represents a very different practice, place and story.

And that, for me, is one of the most exciting things about NIFA.

NIFA continually reminds me that First Nations fashion reaches far beyond what we wear. It carries Country, culture, knowledge, identity, story and generations of creative practice.

There are textiles carrying stories of Country. Adornment grounded in cultural practice. Fibre and materials connected to place. Art Centres creating economic and creative opportunities in remote communities. Designers building businesses and contemporary labels. Collaborations crossing cultures and countries. Young people finding their own creative language.

There is innovation, but there is also continuity.

There is experimentation alongside knowledge that has existed for generations.

And behind every finished work is an ecosystem of family, Country, community, artists, makers, Elders, mentors, collaborators and knowledge holders.

That is the landscape NIFA celebrates.

Each year, I gain a deeper appreciation for everything that happens behind the scenes before NIFA comes to life.

The months of conversations.

The finalist films and storytelling.

The logistics of bringing people and works from across Australia to Darwin.

The relationships with Art Centres, designers, partners and communities.

The judging process, production, travel, styling, photography, media, rehearsals and those inevitable last-minute moments when everyone simply finds a way to make something work.

Then the audience arrives.

The lights come up.

The films roll across that enormous Deckchair Cinema screen.

And all of that machinery quietly disappears.

Instead, you see someone watching their story being shared.

You hear a family erupt when a name is announced.

You watch artists and designers meet, sometimes for the first time.

There are hugs, tears, laughter and photographs.

Those are the moments that stay with me.

NIFA exists because an extraordinary community of people believes in what it represents.

The 2026 awards were presented by Indigenous Fashion Projects as part of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation, with support from the Australian Government Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program.

Our presenting, showcase and designer travel partner QIC, Principal Media Partner NITV, Travel Sponsor Nautilus Aviation and Production Partner Global Headquarters helped us bring the evening to life.

Our award partners QIC, Pacific Werribee, Canberra Centre, Country Road, Francesca Cubillo, RMIT University and Desarteach play an important role in supporting and recognising this growing industry, alongside ticketing partner Darwin Fringe Festival and our generous supporters Terri Layman and Michael Sitzler.

Behind those names are people who have championed the artists, designers and vision of NIFA, and we are deeply grateful for that support.

But most of all, we are grateful to our finalists.

Thank you for trusting us with your work and your stories.

To the families, communities and Art Centres behind them, thank you for everything you carry into this space.

And to the team working quietly behind the scenes, thank you for carrying the hundreds of details that allow everyone else to simply experience the magic.

As the night came to a close at Deckchair Cinema, what remained was a sense of something much bigger than an awards night: a gathering of community, culture, creativity and First Nations excellence.

Because ultimately, NIFA is about more than an award.

It is about visibility and recognition.
It is about creating pathways and possibilities.
It is about celebrating cultural knowledge, innovation and extraordinary creativity on a national stage.

And it is about coming together, under the stars on Larrakia Country, to celebrate the strength of First Nations fashion today, the generations of knowledge that sit behind it, and the exciting possibilities of where it might go next.

Until NIFA 2027. 🖤