For Denni Francisco, founder of Ngali and former owner of the iconic children’s wear label, Billiecart Clothing, fashion has always been about more than looking good.
For her, it’s about doing good. And that’s exactly what she wants to do with her most recent fashion label, Ngali, which uses the artwork of remote Aboriginal Australians on premium-quality clothing and homewares.
As a proud Wiradjuri woman herself, finding a way to showcase Aboriginal history and creativity – that has been 80,000 years in the making – has always been high on her agenda:
“Art is a lens through which our people see, understand and communicate with others. I want people to know who we are, who we’ve always been…that there’s more to us than what you see through the lens of 200 years of colonisation.
And fashion is a good way to do this. It means we can expand our reach. It also means that remote artists can access opportunities they may not otherwise have had.”
‘Ngali’ which translates to ‘we’ or ‘us,’ in a number of Aboriginal languages, is also the embodiment of how Denni would like the world to be. She explains:
“Through Ngali, we want to create the “us” we’d like to see: a harmonious, sustainable and equitable union of people
– all people, regardless of background – with the planet.”
No stranger to the fashion scene, Denni is hoping that Ngali can make a positive contribution to many prove as her previous label, Billiecart, which in its heyday was a multi-million dollar fashion brand that worked directly with over 950 women across Australia.
And if early results are anything to go by, Ngali might just be on track.
Founded just last year, Ngali has already featured at Melbourne Fashion Week 2018 and 2019, Australian Eco Fashion Week, and the Darwin Aboriginal Art Runway Event. Their online store has also seen double-digit growth.
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