The Indigenous Fashion Commission is a National Gallery of Victoria initiative celebrating innovation, diversity and excellence in First Nations fashion and design through the commissioning of ambitious new works for the NGV Collection.

Initiated by Shonae Hobson during her tenure as Curator, First Nations Art at the National Gallery of Victoria, the inaugural commission involved close collaboration with Yuwaalaraay designer Julie Shaw of MAARA Collective and Yolŋu master weavers Evonne Munuyngu, Lisa Lalaywarra Gurrulpa, Serena Gubuyani, Mary Dhapalany and Margaret Djarbalarbal Malibirr from Bula’bula Arts, Ramingining, Northeast Arnhem Land. Hobson oversaw the commissioning of Maayama-li (Made by Hand), a bespoke couture garment crafted from hand-woven and naturally dyed pandanus fibres collected on Country. The work received the International Design Awards (IDA) in 2024 and was subsequently acquired into the NGV’s permanent collection.

Read the 2022 feature in Vogue Australia here.