This week at Australian Fashion Week, we gathered at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Gadigal Country for a powerful and deeply considered conversation exploring the future of Australian fashion through a First Nations lens.

Presented by Indigenous Fashion Projects (IFP) in partnership with the Australian Fashion Council (AFC), the panel discussion, Responsibility to Country: Following First Nations Fashion Leadership, invited audiences to rethink sustainability, ethics and creative leadership through the perspectives of First Nations designers and cultural leaders.

Moderated by respected fashion journalist Patty Huntington, the conversation brought together Michelle Maynard, Manager of Indigenous Fashion Projects, designer Cissy Gore-Birch of LuluJaru, and leading Yuwaalaraay  designer Lucy Simpson of Gaawaa Miyay, for a discussion that moved far beyond trend forecasting and surface-level sustainability conversations into something much deeper: responsibility, reciprocity and cultural continuity.

At the centre of the discussion was a question posed to both the panel and audience:

What would it take for the fashion industry to genuinely understand cultural responsibility to Country, and embrace First Nations leadership in building an ethical and sustainable future?

Panellists reflected on the understanding that, for First Nations peoples, sustainability is not a new concept or an industry trend, but an inherent cultural responsibility, the core to our identity grounded in care for Country, community, knowledge sharing and intergenerational thinking.

The conversation explored how these values continue to shape contemporary First Nations fashion practice through storytelling, materials, production approaches, cultural governance and creative process.

Michelle Maynard spoke about the responsibility Indigenous Fashion Projects holds for supporting First Nations creatives in navigating the industry while protecting cultural integrity and connection to Country.

“There’s a real sense of responsibility in providing the right information and access to knowledge so that our creatives can make decisions – so there’s less risk of compromising their cultural integrity and their responsibility to Country.”

She reflected on the importance of creating equitable access and culturally informed pathways for First Nations creatives, particularly those living in regional and remote communities, while ensuring they are equipped to navigate the industry on their own terms.

Cissy Gore-Birch shared how her background in conservation, land management and environmental advocacy naturally informs her creative practice and approach to fashion. Her work through LuluJaru explores sustainable livelihoods, cultural identity and storytelling grounded in responsibility to Country.

“Sustainability is a word that’s thrown around very easily and everybody wants to use it as a fashionable word –  but are we actually living it?”

She challenged audiences to think more deeply about the broader environmental and cultural systems connected to fashion production, particularly the impacts of extraction, water use and industry expansion on Country and communities.

“It is a responsibility for each and every one of us in this space.”

Lucy Simpson reflected on the role of design as a tool for storytelling, advocacy and cultural continuity, and the importance of evolving traditional knowledge systems in contemporary ways while remaining grounded in community and Country.

“The core message or story must never change, but the way we tell it must continue to evolve to keep it relevant. Design has the ability to traverse space, borders and boundaries – it becomes a way for us to carry story, memory, responsibility and connection to Country into contemporary spaces and everyday life.”

The discussion also highlighted the growing role of Indigenous Fashion Projects as a First Nations-led support system that continues to strengthen pathways into the fashion industry through visibility, mentoring, business development and cultural leadership.

Importantly, the session challenged audiences to think critically about the structures and systems surrounding the Australian fashion industry and the role the broader sector plays in supporting long-term, culturally grounded First Nations leadership.

One of the most impactful moments came as Lucy Simpson shared a statement from her Elders,  speaking to the devastating environmental impacts of cotton extraction on freshwater systems in north-west New South Wales. The auditorium fell silent as audiences were asked to confront the realities that sit behind the fabrics worn every day and the urgent need for greater accountability across the industry.

For many attending, the panel offered a genuine shift in perspective, reframing sustainability not as a marketing framework, but as a lived cultural practice grounded in relationship, responsibility and long-term thinking.

The panel formed part of the broader Indigenous Fashion Projects Pathways Program immersion at Australian Fashion Week, where the 2025–2027 Pathways cohort is participating in a week of workshops, mentorship, industry engagement and creative development ahead of presenting their own runways in the future.

As conversations around ethics, sustainability and the future of fashion continue to evolve globally, Responsibility to Country: Following First Nations Fashion Leadership offered a timely reminder that First Nations knowledge systems have long held understandings of sustainability, reciprocity and collective responsibility that remain deeply relevant today.

More than a panel discussion, the session opened a wider conversation about what becomes possible when First Nations leadership is genuinely centred within the future of Australian fashion.

Image | Luca Daniel wears Countryman Collection by Lucy Simpson, Mayatili Marika and Leah Giblin, IFP in Osaka 2025, Photo by Fergus Schipf-Randell