In an exciting first for the creative sister duo and proud Gurindji and Waanyi women, this week Tarisse and Sarrita King debuted their Indigenous fashion brand, KingKing Creative, at Melbourne Fashion Week.
Participating in the ganbu marra runway, KingKing Creative was showcased alongside several First Nations brands and designers to commence the week-long fashion showcase on Monday.
Contemporary Aboriginal artists with more than 18 years of experience, the sisters have gained their stories, techniques and passion for storytelling from their artistic father, the late William Jungala King.
"KingKing Creative is a business that evolved naturally for us (Tarisse and Sarrita King), after long successful careers as Aboriginal fine artists. KingKing is a nod to our last name, and twice for the both of us sisters," Tarisse said.
"Our stories and experiences we paint are from our perspective as Indigenous women and it's an acknowledgement to our late father William King who was a renowned artist before us. We are based on Larrakia country (Darwin)."
This year marked Tarisse and Sarrita presenting the brand to audiences at Melbourne Fashion Week for the first time.
"It is KingKing's debut at MFW this year. After showcasing our first collection at Country to Couture in August this year, we were thrilled to receive an opportunity to be part of ganbu marra," Tarisse said before the brand's runway this week.
"We couldn't resist the chance to be a part of this exciting event."
When discussing the brand's new collection, Tarisse said the runway collection features both new pieces and pieces from the brand's core range.
"Our collection showcases a blend of our Country to Couture collections, new pieces, and our core range, which has been a hallmark of KingKing since its inception," she said.
"We collaborated closely with Stylist Lindyn Rowlands, whose vision for this runway was a bold and elevated take on street style, deeply connected to Melbourne's vibrant urban energy, creativity, and edge.
"Since our clothing is designed for everyday wear, we paired it with vibrant, bold colours and accessories to create a visually powerful look. Distinctly Aboriginal designed artworks.
"We hope our pieces inspire everyone to invest in Aboriginal designed clothing as staples for their wardrobe. We pride ourselves on high quality garments, vibrant authentic artwork, fair pricing and being Blak owned. Everything we create is mob and ally friendly."
When discussing shared responsibilities and what it's like to work so closely with a sibling, Tarisse said the sisters both design and create artwork then split other general business tasks between them.
"I take care of the admin side, including emails, communication, and replying to social media," she said.
"Behind the scenes, we both design and create artwork. Initially, we met weekly, but now we're on the phone daily."
With festive season just around the corner Tarisse said the duo have projects which are set to be completed and revealed in time for Christmas.
"We have many exciting plans for the future, so there's a lot of conversations going on," she said.
"We've applied for a couple of projects next year, so we're hoping to be able to participate! We're also opening our very first shopfront in Darwin just in time for Christmas, so stay tuned.
"We are so grateful for the incredible outpouring of support from all our customers and are excited to bring you along on our journey as we expand our range."
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