Country to Couture returned to Darwin in 2026 for two unforgettable nights celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fashion, textiles, art, cultural storytelling and creative practice.

Presented by Indigenous Fashion Projects, Country to Couture has spent more than a decade creating a national platform for First Nations designers, artists, textile practitioners and Art Centres. The event showcases the extraordinary diversity of Indigenous fashion—and the stories, practices and relationships behind each collection.

This year marked an exciting new chapter.

For the first time in the event’s history on Larrakia Country, the runway moved outdoors to Charles Darwin University’s city campus, Danala, unfolding beneath the open sky around its heritage-listed boab tree.

The setting brought Country into the heart of the runway, creating a place for gathering and shared experience—and a spectacular backdrop for two nights of fashion and storytelling.

Across both shows, audiences experienced collections from independent designers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Centres from across the continent. Hand-printed textiles, weaving, natural fibres, adornment, tailoring, streetwear and wearable art drew from family and community, language and memory, cultural practice and identity, and the landscapes and ecological systems of Country.

Together, they offered a powerful picture of the breadth, creativity and continuing evolution of First Nations fashion today.

Show One – Carried by Our Matriarchs – From Legacy We Rise

The first night honoured the women who have carried culture, creativity and knowledge across generations—as artists, designers, mothers, aunties, grandmothers, cultural leaders and knowledge holders.

Stories of bush medicines, shell dolls, weaving traditions, waterways, family histories and community were transformed into contemporary fashion, carrying memory into new forms and possibilities.

Collaboration sat at the heart of the night. Artists worked alongside designers, Elders shared knowledge with younger generations, and Art Centres brought together artists, makers and fashion practitioners.

From Anindilyakwa Arts × Anna Reynolds, Bábbarra Women’s Centre and Badu Art Centre to Mermaid Collective, Jaymee-Lee Chaquebor, LULUJARU, MumRed, Nagula Jarndu Designs, Off The Plantation, Waringarri Aboriginal Arts and Women Of The Rivers, the runway moved across Countries, communities and creative practices.

The collections showed that First Nations fashion is not simply about an individual designer or finished garment. Creativity is nurtured through family, community and relationships, with knowledge continuing to grow as it moves between generations.

Show Two: Imprints and Memory – Seasons of Land, Waters and Sky

The second night turned towards the living relationships between Country, culture and people.

Imprints and Memory – Seasons of Land, Waters and Sky travelled through deserts, rivers, rainforests, islands and coastlines, exploring how seasonal change and ecological knowledge continue to shape creative practice.

The movement of clouds, arrival of rain, flowering of plants, migration of birds and changing light all carry knowledge that has guided First Nations peoples for millennia.

Across collections by Corella & Crow, Goompi’s Girl, Jina-Jina by Yinjaa-Barni Artists, Kuku Bulkaway Arts, Lucas Schober, Marayn Designs, Marnin Studio, Ngaire Pakai, Noongar Arts Fashion and Yarrenyty Arltere Artists, these relationships took strikingly different forms.

Country was not simply a backdrop. It was a teacher, collaborator and creative force.

Landscapes, waterways, skies and seasons moved into textiles, silhouettes and wearable art, while designers explored personal stories of identity, resilience, healing, belonging and contemporary Indigenous life.

Together, the two shows demonstrated that there is no single expression of First Nations fashion. There are many Countries, communities, languages and ways of knowing—each bringing something distinct to Australia’s contemporary fashion landscape.

Bringing the collections to life were 47 models from across Country, creating a runway that celebrated not only First Nations design, but First Nations presence.

Garments moved from the hands and studios of artists and designers onto bodies, carrying stories from communities across Australia to Larrakia Country.

For audiences, it was an opportunity to experience the scale and diversity of Indigenous fashion in one place. For the designers and artists, it was a moment to see their work, stories and creative visions take centre stage.

More than a runway

Country to Couture has always been about more than fashion.

Many collections begin long before a garment reaches the runway. They begin with Country—with rivers and coastlines, bush medicines and native plants, shells, grasses and fibres, and with artists and families gathering, making and sharing knowledge.

Across two sold-out nights beneath the Darwin sky, Country to Couture brought together artists, designers, models, communities and audiences to celebrate where First Nations fashion has come from, where it stands today and the many directions it is moving next.

Beneath the boab on Larrakia Country, fashion became a meeting place for culture, Country, memory, innovation and possibility.

Once again, Country to Couture revealed the strength, diversity and extraordinary creative energy of First Nations fashion in Australia.

Country to Couture is presented by Indigenous Fashion Projects (IFP), a program of Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF) Foundation, supported by Country Road, the Northern Territory Government through Tourism and Events NT, and Charles Darwin University. Production partners are Northern Lights NT, Global Headquarters and Fusion Exhibitions, with Premium Media Partner Peppermint Magazine and Ticketing Partner Darwin Fringe Festival.