Globally recognised Australian fashion brand Helen Kaminski have ventured into new territory via a collaboration with Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts.

Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts, Art Centre manager Trevor van Weeren, said the Kaminski team "have been great".

"Lots of careful listening and learning during their first visits. The whole project is about trying to leave behind some best practice processes for other people that want to do collaborations, so both the Art Centre and Kaminski are going carefully. Phoebe Hyles is the creative designer at Kaminski, she just has the perfect personality for a collab, friendly, open, loving," he said.

Mr van Weeren said this collection is the first time the centre has joined forces with a large Australian brand.

"It will be a good example for our artist to get a taste for what's involved. We have a workshop in September with Kaminski, to produce all the final works," he said.

"The Yolngu in Arnhemland are very generous and love sharing their culture. They want to have the same economic opportunities as all Australians. We are hoping this interest in collaborating keeps growing, especially if it's done respectfully and in a culturally safe way. I think the name for the Kaminski collection 'Djäma Rrambaŋi' Working together, implies these things and sums it up really."

Having initially began their collaboration with Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts in 2022, Helen Kaminski's designer and developer Phoebe Hyles said Indigenous Fashion Projects (IFP) brought the two organisations together.

"The collaboration we will be presenting has been made in partnership with the talented Yolŋu artists of Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts from East Arnhem Land. Our collaboration began back in 2022 when Helen Kaminski began working with the Indigenous Fashion Projects (IFP) as a case study for their guidelines on Best Practice for collaborating with Indigenous Art Centres, First Nations designers and artists," she said.

"Through the IFP we were introduced to Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts. Fast forward a couple of years later, and after lots of video calls, a couple of visits to Gapuwiyak to create some samples, and a licencing agreement put in place with the Copyright Agency, we are ready to present a collection of unique Hats and Bags at this year's Country to Couture."

When the time came for the Helen Kaminski x Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts collection to walk the runway, audience members admired the way in which both businesses intertwined their niche talents to form a connection between two worlds.

"Through this collaboration we wanted to create a connection between our two worlds and in doing so create a range of accessories that utilise hand plaited raffia braid made by Helen Kaminski artisans in Sri Lanka with native Pandanus, hand dyed using natural bush dyes and woven by the Yolŋu artists of Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts," Hyles told National Indigenous Times.

"Our collaborative collection celebrates our shared love and commitment to hand made natural fibre products. This collaboration exemplifies the talent and innovation of the Yolŋu artists."

Hyles said the design processing had been "interesting and rewarding... especially considering the thousands of kilometres between us".

"Our starting point was to share with each other the handmade and fibre-based techniques we work with and to give each other an understanding of our worlds," she said.

"This foundation of respectful collaboration has informed the look and feel of the collection. The next step was to bring it all together into meaningful Hat and Bag designs that combines the signature design elements that Helen Kaminski is renowned for with the tradition and ingenuity of the Yolŋu artists of Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts."

The collection also features one of kind, limited handmade pieces that have each been numbered and signed by each artist.

Launching officially to the public in 2025, Hyles confirms the collection will be available at the Helen Kaminski flagship store in the QVB in Sydney, online and at David Jones Elizabeth Street Store in Sydney.

"I have my eye on the Bush String Bag by Lucy Wanapuyngu. Lucy is such an incredible senior artist and one of the founding members of the Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts centre. Her skills are highly refined through years of practice but there remains a lightness and playfulness to her work that I find beautiful," she said.

"I love the combination of our signature Raffia braid and Bush String. The synergy between these materials and colours makes for an exciting addition to my wardrobe that combines fibre art with luxury details.

"We will be launching this collection in January 2025. It will be available at our flagship store in the QVB in Sydney, at Helen Kaminsk, as well as at David Jones Elizabeth Street Store in Sydney. We will follow this up with a pop up in one of stores in Seoul, Korea in May 2025. Each design is produced in a very limited edition, you can sign up on our website to be notified of its release, so you don't miss out on this unique and collectable range."

Having also recently collaborated with Babbarra Women's Centre, Hyles confirms that the brand is eager to continually grow their collaborations with Indigenous art centres and artists.

"The collaborations with Indigenous Artists and First Nations art centres have become a very special part of our summer ranges. We have seen a huge interest from our overseas stockists and customers for these unique products. We are proud to continue our collaboration with the Babbarra Women's Centre for a second collection launching as part of our Spring Summer '25 collection," Hyles told National Indigenous Times.

"To be able to facilitate sharing the stories, art, craft and design of our First Nations designers and artists has been hugely rewarding for us as it taps into our business ethos of safeguarding skills and local talent. This recognition and support for artisans and craftspeople is something we have undertaken in Sri Lanka for years, to be able to do this on our home soil through these collaborations is incredibly meaningful.

"There is so much we can learn from our First Nations designers and artists. The inherent care for and respect of the natural environment and the innate responsibility to live symbiotically with nature should become our universal modus operandi."

Hyles said the brand's overarching ethos is built on a foundation of and respect for our natural world and the talents of artisans and craftspeople across the globe.

"Our overarching brand ethos is built on a foundation of and respect for our natural world and the talents of artisans and craftspeople across the globe. This has been our vision since 1983. This collaboration has in some way shape or form passed everyone's desk in our Sydney and overseas offices, its exposed us all to the deep knowledge and connection of our First Nations peoples to the land on which we are all lucky to live and work," she said.

"It's posed unique circumstances and made us all work closely together to achieve a great capsule collection that lives up to the Helen Kaminski values of designing for longevity and producing with integrity, authenticity, craftspersonship and sustainable approaches to people and the planet as key touchstones."

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