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ABC News
ABC News
Business
business reporter Stephanie Chalmers

Indigenous designers seek brand ownership as conscious consumers ask questions

Troy Casey has ambitions for Magpie Goose to become an iconic Australian brand. (ABC News: John Gunn)

At a pop-up shop in Sydney's Redfern, colourful clothing featuring prints inspired by Australian animals, flowers and landscapes fills the racks.

When you buy a piece, it comes with a card explaining the story behind the print and the Aboriginal artist who created it.

The brand's managing director, Troy Casey, a proud Aboriginal man from Kamilaroi Country in north-west NSW, has big ambitions.

But until March, the social enterprise behind these clothes, Magpie Goose, was run by two non-Indigenous women.

Magpie Goose has transitioned to full Indigenous ownership. (ABC News: John Gunn)

Earlier this year, Magpie Goose co-founders Maggie McGowan and Laura Egan took a step back from leading the business and transitioned it to Indigenous ownership.

Now, Brisbane-based Mr Casey and his partner Amanda Hayman are at the reins, making the enterprise 100 per cent Indigenous-owned.

"We really wanted to grow the brand to create the most impact and that was creating opportunities for Aboriginal people within the fashion and textile industry," Ms McGowan says.

Magpie Goose believes this is the first instance of a non-Indigenous business transitioning to Indigenous ownership, and Mr Casey hopes it can serve as a model for other non-Indigenous businesses to follow.

Collaborations not enough, First Nations designers say

Magpie Goose licenses textile designs from remote art centres, with royalties paid to artists per metre of fabric printed.

Workshops are run with artists to develop their designs for screen printing. The clothes are then manufactured in Sydney.

Ms McGowan says it has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in licensing payments going to Aboriginal artists over the past five years, but it's been a learning curve, in consultation with organisations Arts Law and Copyright Agency.

"It's really been testing, trying different things and seeing how that works, getting feedback from people we're working with and refining the process," Ms McGowan explains.

Magpie Goose faced criticism about its ownership structure and licensing arrangements on its social media channels, including a protest held by two artists it had worked with.

The fashion industry has long draw inspiration from Aboriginal cultures, but the focus is shifting to brand ownership. (ABC News: Daniel Irvine)

Ownership and the relationship between brands and artists are issues Grace Lillian Lee deals with frequently, in her role mentoring others in the fashion industry.

Ms Lee, a Miriam Mer woman from the Eastern Islands of the Torres Strait, is the founder of First Nations Fashion and Design — a not-for-profit supporting and representing those working in the industry.

Grace Lillian Lee founded First Nations Fashion and Design. (ABC News: Daniel Irvine)

At Australian Fashion Week in Sydney, Ms Lee produced the event's first runway show exclusively featuring Indigenous designers, models and back-of-house team.

"The Australian fashion industry for far too long has really been inspired by our country, and we've got some beautiful collaborations with major labels," she observes.

Fashion week show features all Indigenous models and designers

Black Lives Matter movement puts brand ownership in focus

In Brisbane's West End, Troy Casey co-owns a retail store that sells the work of local and Indigenous artists.

Even before he owned and ran Magpie Goose, his store was a stockist of the brand.

Last year, he says, the store saw an increase in "conscious consumers" — asking who runs the business, where the products are made and whether money is returned to the communities that made the products.

Kamilaroi man Troy Casey now co-owns a clothing brand founded by two non-Indigenous women. (ABC News: John Gunn)

"I think COVID has [made people think about] how do we shop more locally? How do we support Australian manufacturing and grow the industry here," he says.

Last year's resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, sparked by the murder of George Floyd, saw major brands flood Instagram feeds with black tiles, in a performance of solidarity.

From her Los Angeles base, beauty business founder Sharon Chuter saw the display unfolding and was compelled to speak out.

"To see brands turning up and trying to market off that moment … you were looking at these brands releasing statements, almost like absolving themselves of their own responsibility or the roles they've played.

UOMA Beauty CEO Sharon Chuter was "triggered" when she saw brands used the Black Lives Matter movement as a marketing opportunity. (Instagram: Sharon Chuter)

"Almost preaching to their consumers like, 'you can do better, this is how you should educate yourself, and I was so triggered by that."

Ms Chuter, the chief executive of UOMA Beauty, launched a campaign called Pull Up for Change.

The campaign asked brands to "pull up or shut up" — to disclose their ownership structures, board composition and scorecards on diversity.

Exposing 'black cladding'

Part of the Pull Up for Change campaign is about dismantling what Ms Chuter calls "corporate blackface".

In the US, the concept describes companies that have little to no diversity in their leadership or ownership ranks, but trade off African American culture or the reputation of a few.

Ms Chuter says the world's biggest brands frequently use African American athletes in their campaigns, but representation at executive and board level remains woeful.

"They always give them access but no ownership," she says.

"Because you're getting the credibility of that community who continue to come and support you."

In Australia, it's known as 'black cladding'.

Indigenous procurement organisation Supply Nation considers black cladding to be "the practice of a non-Indigenous business entity or individual taking unfair advantage of an Indigenous business entity or individual".

Specifically, for the purpose of accessing Indigenous procurement policies or contracts they wouldn't otherwise be eligible for.

Supply Nation provides a directory of verified Indigenous businesses, which it defines as being at least 50 per cent owned by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Procurement policies have been one prompt for businesses and government departments to seek out Indigenous suppliers.

Another has been social movements, including Black Lives Matter.

First Nations Fashion and Design's Grace Lillian Lee saw the increased interest in Indigenous designs around the Black Lives Matter movement and worried it would become a passing moment, rather than a ongoing commitment.

The First Nations Fashion and Design runway showcased Indigenous talent on stage and behind the scenes. (Supplied: Lucas Dawson)

Ambitions to become household names

Now leading Magpie Goose, Troy Casey hopes to continue building the brand.

"A brand that people come to Australia and go, what do I buy? RM Williams, Driza-Bone, Magpie Goose … that's the future for us, hopefully."

"We think that under Aboriginal ownership and leadership, the brand will be unstoppable," co-founder Maggie McGowan agrees.

In the aftermath of fashion week, Grace Lillian Lee was heartened by the outpouring of emotion and praise following the First Nations runway show.

Her own pieces celebrate her culture through the act of weaving.

Grace Lillian Lee's woven designs graced the runway at Australian Fashion Week. (Supplied: Lucas Dawson)

She hopes to expand her organisation to provide advice and mentorship to even more Indigenous designers in the fashion industry.

"We're really supporting independent, self-determined businesses to create their own labels within the industry, because wouldn't it be great to see a household name?"

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