Ikuntji art, which is famous for its bold colours and decisive brush strokes, is displayed in many national and international galleries and institutions.
Aboriginal artists working out of a remote Northern Territory (NT) art centre have won a game-changing contract and received an order from the Australian consulate in Vietnam to provide 80m of printed fabric, which was made into uniforms for staff to wear on special occasions.
The Ho Chi Minh office staff had seen the Ikjuntji ‘wearable art’ on the catwalk at Sydney fashion week, where Indigenous artists and models were given a standing ovation.
One designer, Hayley Dodd, modelled her own one-off creations.
Chrischona Schmidt, who has managed Ikuntji Artists for 12 years, hopes the Vietnam contract will 'break the ceiling' and lead to further orders.
She particularly would like to see leading European stores, such as Harrods, to stock the fabric.
“There’s a stigma in Europe that Australian clothes are expensive, however, I was there recently and this is simply not the case.”
Ikuntji Artists is a member-based, not-for-profit art centre in the community once known as Haasts Bluff, 220km from Alice Springs, with a population of only 150 people.
The artists create a wide range of work - from clothing to striking paintings.
They draw their inspiration from their personal Ngurra (country) and Tjukurrpa (dreaming).
Ikuntji art, which is famous for its bold colours and decisive brush strokes, is displayed in many national and international galleries and institutions.
There are about 100 artists, with a strong presence of 10 to 15 artists.
Recently the Trade team visited Ikuntji Artists who were the winners of the NT Export Awards in 2023 for Small Business. The team saw firsthand the products that they sell internationally and learnt more of the desires to increase their international trade.
The NT shares close cultural, economic and trade relationships with Vietnam and is identified as a high priority market in the NT Government’s international engagement strategy 2022 to 2026.
Vietnam is also an important market for the NT’s agribusiness, education and training sectors.
To find out more about NT Government’s international engagement strategy 2022 to 2026, go to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade website.
