Amanda Healy: We've got an opportunity to be really unique in the world of fashion and it is time for us to embrace that. Well, you can't really be Aboriginal because you don't look Aboriginal and you're successful in business. Those sorts of things come up almost every day for me. They're hungry for our stories, they want to know who we are, and it's a platform for us to educate and inform about Aboriginal Australia that we're still here, we're still doing, we're still making and we're still growing.
[Voiceover]: Welcome to add to cart, Australia's leading e commerce podcast that Express delivers all you need to know in the fast moving world of online retail. Here's your host, Joanne Huey Miller. I'd like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land I'm on, the Gadigal people of the EORA nation. I pay my respect to their elders, past and present, and I extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening today. Our first nations people were the first traders and entrepreneurs in our land, and I am honoured to continue sharing these stories with Australians today. Hi, everyone, it's Jo here and I'm so pleased to be back in your ears again. As you know, I'm a guest host on Add to Cart each month and I'm a huge fan of retail. My regular gig is working at retail strategy agency the General Store, and prior to that, I was Managing editor at Inside Retail for about six years. I'm really pumped to be sharing this conversation with you all today. Mining and fashion are not industries you would think come together very often, but they do in the life of my guest today. A proud Koori woman, Amanda Healy has more than 30 years experience in mining, but when she noticed the lack of authentic indigenous products, she took matters into her own hands. And in 2014, she launched her own brand. Kerrikin Kerakin is a luxury fashion label that showcases Indigenous art and offers customers the opportunity to directly support the artists behind the design. In 2021, Amanda's brand even hit the Runway at Australian Fashion Week and has started to expand overseas into the US and Europe. I really enjoyed hearing Amanda share some of the stories that are woven into Kirakin's fabric and her experience of taking Australian culture overseas. We also chatted about her thoughts on the voice, the impact it could have on the Indigenous community and the challenges she has faced as a First nations entrepreneur. So, thanks to our partners, Shopify plus and Paclio, here's our conversation with Amanda Healy, Founder and Managing Director of Keerakin Amanda, before Kirikin, you actually used to be in the mining and engineering industries, which is so surprising. But now you're a fashion designer and you're showcasing your work overseas and at Fashion Week. Can you tell us a little bit about the journey into fashion and how you decided to start your own label?
Amanda Healy: So, first off, I'd like to acknowledge that I'm on Whadjuk Noongar country here in Perth in WA on a very cold, frosty morning. And I'd really like to show my appreciation for the Noongar people that they've kept this country beautiful for thousands of years and it's lovely to live here. My people are the Wannerua people from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. But I've lived here in Western Australia most of my life. I actually am still in the mining industry. I have two businesses, one which is called Warakal, which is services into the mining industry, which pays my bills. Basically, Kurakin is a social enterprise and came about because I was so frustrated to see how little there was in the market in 2000. So the, like, early 2010. So like 2010, 11, 12, I started looking around for some clothes to wear to represent who I was, because it became a thing then to identify as an Aboriginal business. And I identified as an Aboriginal business and wanted to represent, you know, other Aboriginal businesses and by wearing a scarf or a dress or a shirt or whatever. And found pretty quickly that there wasn't very much around at all at that time. So I banged on about it for a couple of years about how poor that was and how annoyed, annoyed I was to feel that anything that had Aboriginal content was typically not made in Australia and had no relationship to Aboriginal people. Then in 2014, I got a bit sick of complaining about it and decided to do it. So we started off in scarves and ties. Well, actually, I started talking to artists to see whether they'd be prepared to put their artwork onto, you know, fabrics because sometimes there are cultural issues around their artwork and the stories that they tell on through their art. So started talking to artists, started to realize how that industry worked and how little money actually got back to the artist. No matter, you know, no matter what their, their artwork was selling for, typically only a very small percentage of that went to the artist and probably is still a bit the case. So anyway, we decided in the end to select a number of artists to set up our business and eventually decided that the funds should actually be going to the artists, not to me. I still had a job. I was still working, I still had other things that were paying my bills. So it was sort of, you know, a logical conclusion for me to do that. Aboriginal people generally, and one of the most significant things about traditional cultures, Jo, is that we feel a really strong responsibility to our own people. I'm sure you're familiar with, with those sorts of cultures that have strong familial connections and internal responsibilities. So, of course, that was a natural step for me. Yeah. So Kirikhan was born in 2014 and still, you know, I'm still experimenting and still learning a lot about the fashion industry. It's very interesting, very competitive and extraordinarily hard to stand out in a very busy market. You know, there's a number of really amazing brands out there. It really, you know, you have to compete all the time and attract the attention of the audience that you're looking for. And sometimes that's a big challenge. That's probably the biggest challenge in fashion. You know, it's nice to be able to make things and everything, but the challenge is really making sure you stand out. Yeah.
[Voiceover]: It's the business part of it, isn't it?
Amanda Healy: Absolutely.
[Voiceover]: But would you say that your background in mining and engineering has sort of helped you run your own business and run Kirakin in any way?
Amanda Healy: Yeah, look, I think so. Funny enough, the type of work that I've done in the mining industry is around the maintenance area. In maintenance, you make a whole heap of things out of steel. And I've had workshops in the northwest of Western Australia and some pretty remote communities. So the whole process is around, you know, a concept where what it is you want to make, then do some drawings and then you make a pattern from those drawings and then you break that down to making something from those patterns and those patterns. So the only difference really, in lots of ways is the materials that you use. And the profitability, of course, is a lot higher. Higher in the mining industry. So. So, yeah, interestingly enough, the process is very similar.
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[Voiceover]: How would you describe Kirakin as a fashion label? And what would you say is the inspiration behind the products that you create?
Amanda Healy: So I describe Kirikin as a social enterprise. And you know, my sort of elevator pitch is we print gorgeous, authentic aboriginal art onto luxury fabrics and turn them into clothing and accessories. So that's a sort of a high level description of it. But the work that we do, really the thing that inspires me most and what keeps gets me out of bed in the morning, of course, is the social return to the community. So, you know, like the artists get payment every quarter. We help out single mums. We currently are doing running training programs to help Aboriginal women succeed in their life, but also to understand the basics of business and how commerce and business goes about and to actually develop their skills in that space. So that to me is probably way more important than the actual, actual product itself. Even though I have to say they're very beautiful. And then every time we do a collection, there'll be an inspiration around it, there'll be a theme for us. Each of the pieces of fabric that we print will tell the story of that fabric. So, you know, for example, I've got stories that tell of the native pear flower in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. So the native pear flower was aromatherapy before aromatherapy existed. So they tend to come out after the winter months, after the winter rains, and they have this beautiful aroma and they sort of, they're a little bush that stand about knee to hip high, depending on how tall you are, of course. But very often the women, you know, when they were pregnant, if they were pregnant at that time or budgery, as we would say, they, they would walk through the, like the native pear bushes and the scent that came up would of course, you know, like produce a lovely, relaxing aroma. So that's one of the stories. So we tell those stories as we, you know, we produce the products and then we tell the story of the artist, where they came from, you know, who they were, what, what inspired them to paint. Some of them paint traditional stories. In fact, I shouldn't say paint because I've got artists that do digital art these days. So like that's a whole new area to explore. You quite incredible. And artists can become really prolific because the costs of producing are a lot lower. There's not as much cost and time and energy in sitting and painting a massive, big canvas. So that's an interesting thing to know as well. But, yeah, so very often, you know, the very last collection I had was called Ripples, and that was sort of really about the ripples of change in the community, the things that we're seeing happening. You know, I'm old enough to remember the first referendum in 1960. Wow. And the next referendum, the yes vote, will see another step change in how our people are treated, what, you know, what happens to them, where, how they move forward. All of those things are quite important to me, but to all of us, really.
[Voiceover]: Yeah. Well, let's talk about that. As an indigenous woman and an entrepreneur, how would you say that the referendum and the talk about it has impacted you personally, but also as a businesswoman and your team?
Amanda Healy: That's an interesting one because, of course, there's been positive as well as negative feedback. And, you know, we find that the Voice has sparked up a few of what I love to call as our redneck Australians and, you know, their ideas about who we are and what we do. And I think some of that's deeply ingrained in their belief systems. So, you know, so we just have to tolerate the. All the old slights and comments and even things like, you know, I experience almost every day, well, you can't really be Aboriginal because you don't look Aboriginal and you're successful in business. You know, those sorts of things come up almost every day for me. And we're not fortunate enough to grow up in a deeply cultured environment, but that was much to do with colonization, not a choice of our people. And so that was taken from us and our people. So. And we're rebuilding all that. I've got some amazing. You know, there's some amazing people in the community that are working on language revitalization, cultural revitalization, and practicing of culture that. That probably would define us more as a community than we were previously. So we're all working on that. But I guess, you know, the simple answer for me is the Voice is a new way to recognize the wrongs that have happened in the past, but also allow us, you know, that what really will happen, the nub of the whole argument is around our people having a say in things that impact us. So for the first time in our history, you know, we'll be able to decide how our health system works, how, you know, like, very often houses have been built in our remote communities that aren't really appropriate for the way we Live. So, you know, things like that, just, you know, what happens to our kids, stopping this, kids being removed from our people. Because culturally, you know, when you look at how we would live our lives, it's different from the, you know, the predominant culture. So kids are taken because the belief is they're in danger or whatever. And you know, to be fair, there may be circumstances of that, but it's not just aboriginal people that have those issues, you know, so that sort of stuff is really going to be important for the future of our kids. But also, you know, this economic participation piece has been significant, has made significant changes for our people in the last 15 years. And if it's, if it's to continue to grow, we need a say in what, how, you know, those policies, those things that are going to affect us and how businesses run, how we access international markets, all of that stuff that is designed for the predominant culture, not for our culture.
[Voiceover]: Yeah, it's crazy in my opinion, that these things are even up for questioning, really. So I can imagine it must be really frustrating that it's something that you have to fight for and struggle for and challenge. I think that's unbelievable, really, quite frankly.
Amanda Healy: It is, isn't it? And, you know, we're one of the few, I think we're the only formally colonized country in the British, the old British Empire or whatever that doesn't have a treaty. You know, there's been treaties in the United states since the 1920s, in Canada since the, I don't know, 1940s or something like that. They have a really well developed system of consultation with their indigenous people. It doesn't exist here in Australia, New Zealand since the 19, you know, the Waitangi Agreement. That's all existed everywhere else. They have rights. They're recognized as the traditional owners of those countries. We aren't yet. We still don't. We still don't have any recognition at all in that, in that area. So I think if, you know, the initial step of a vote of yes has to make a step change for us because all of a sudden we'll be seen as the. Actually the people that have been here for 50 or 60,000 years.
[Voiceover]: It's crazy. I actually had a chat with Laura Thompson, the co founder of Closing the Gaps recently, and obviously she runs quite a different business to Kirakin, but she was saying from her experience that within the indigenous community, people do actually have differing points of view when it comes to the voice. So emotions are running really high and it's a really tough time right now for A lot of first nations people, let alone trying to run a business at the same time. That's all about shining a light on the community. Can you speak to that at all? What are you seeing from your point of view?
Amanda Healy: I don't know whether maybe I'm a bulldozer, but most, almost everyone I work with or come in contact with are supportive. I'm very rarely coming across people that have, you know, that have a negative view of it. The only ones that I ever see now are obviously. Well, not obviously, but they're usually online and usually hide behind a profile that's probably not really theirs. So that's where I've seen it most. But, you know, one of the nice things about being in fashion is it's something that everybody interacts with every day and it sort of. It creates a different environment. If I was political and making a political stand about how I felt about it, instead of being a softer. Actually, you know, you know what? Aboriginal culture has something positive to add to the community, which is how I see what we're doing and creates a space of, you know, like, of real interest in what we're doing and telling beautiful stories that have that acknowledge and recognize our bush foods, our creation stories, you know, like all of those things, it's sort of a bit more positive than. So closing the gaps does fantastic work, but it's out there, you know, like, it has really great slogans and confronting sometimes images which are. Which is amazing. We need to do that. But that's not my space. So I can see why closing the gaps would have those sort of comments. And it's a very brave stance, like really brave stance for them. My role has been a sort of a softer, softer approach, I guess. And I guess that's because we're all different and we've all got our own views about life and, you know, the fight and struggle that we've had over the years and how best to deal with it. And somewhat my age as well. Like, I'm old enough now as a, you know, softly, softly, gently. You know, gently, gently is a bit more my approach these days. I think when I was younger, I probably would have been a lot more confrontational. Nowadays, I prefer a bit of a gentler life.
[Voiceover]: Yeah, I hear. I hear you. I think there's also different ways of approaching it as well. And I don't think there's any one way or a better way than the others. So I think that's something to keep in mind too.
Amanda Healy: 100% agree.
[Voiceover]: So you would know and you would have seen as well that a lot of mainstream brands recently are trying to support causes and, you know, support communities, especially indigenous communities. But in general, what I've found is that the retail community has been quite silent when it comes to the voice. What are your thoughts on that and what would you like to see happen?
Amanda Healy: Yeah, and I guess it sort of goes back to the point that I was making before. Fashion has broadly stayed non political and takes a sort of more. I mean, of course there's been exceptions to that rule, you know, Vivienne Westwood and the punk movement back in the 70s and 80s in England. And you know, like you're making a real statement and, and there's lots of others that do from time to time and you know, gee, we've seen it, you know, the, the no, no Animals Harmed, you know, the leather movement and all of that stuff.
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Amanda Healy: Peter, those sorts of movements are fantastic and I think they're necessary. Personally, you know, like, I would rather see fashion support it. And I did notice the other day, was it Country Road making a bit of a statement about it. But they're doing it through supporting indigenous businesses. They're, they're actually trying to mentor, you know, people like me in the business and trying to make life a bit easier and help us understand how best to engage with their business, which is great because that actually is very supportive in its own way. But I'm not sure I've seen many others make a statement about it. But one of the things that is really important to, you know, the traditional custodians is the responsibility, the environmental responsibility that needs to be shown. So for us or for me, I would take, read somebody who is taking big steps in, in social responsibility, social and environmental responsibility, you know, recyclables, trying to do away with fast fashion. You know, I, I think those sorts of actions are every bit as powerful and loud as the big. Let's vote. Yes. Because we're the people that lived in harmony with this planet, for this country, this, this continent for thousands of years. So, you know, I think it's all about leaving a bit of something better for our kids, for our future.
[Voiceover]: Yeah. Speaking of Country Road, I've always been very impressed with the long, steady journey that they've been on in the last few years when it comes to supporting the indigenous community. I think I get particularly frustrated, especially as a former journalist when I was covering these sort of issues at Inside Retail and you know, seeing retailers pop up at specific times of the year claiming that they support these issues. But when the going gets tough, you know, when that community that they're supporting or supposedly supporting is going through a particularly challenging time, you know, they. They're quite silent. So I really appreciate a brand that's in it for the long haul and is an actual champion of that community and an actual ally as well. So I'm really glad that you brought up Country Road and the great work they do with indigenous businesses.
Amanda Healy: Yeah, they're good mob. Yeah. And, you know, Country Road, what a iconic name as well. You know, like, as you say, the long journey. It sort of makes you think of a long engagement, if you like, with their brand and very clever. Very clever and very beautiful. Classic styling still.
[Voiceover]: Yeah, well, off the back of that, and it sort of reminds me of what you were talking about earlier in terms of the work that you do with Kirakin, where you work with emerging indigenous designers. And obviously a lot of mainstream brands now are trying to collaborate with indigenous designers. Sometimes it's worked and sometimes it hasn't. If you could give a mainstream brand any advice when it comes to collaborating with an indigenous designer, putting a product together, what would it be?
Amanda Healy: I think the thing that I would advise to a larger designer than me would be, be, you know, and if they were asking to work with me, is, you know, to understand who we are first, understand where our stories come from, understand the issues that surround our businesses and how important it is for us to give back to our own communities. I've seen brands over the time, you know, throw an Aboriginal design onto a. Onto a dress or a jacket or whatever, and I've always questioned how much of that, actually, how much of the return goes back to the artist. What. What impact does it have in the community? And I don't, you know, like. And I don't know the commercial details that have occurred or the commercial arrangements in those things. But, you know, any of the designers or any of the artists that I've seen who've worked in those spaces generally feel like they haven't received the return that the larger businesses do. So it's sort of really think rethinking your model. I mean, we're all trying to make a profit. We're all trying to. Trying to, you know, establish ourselves in the market. But there's sort of a balance there with, you know, that and. And the financial return to the artist and fairness, you know, from. From my perspective. So I'd be asking those sorts of questions and of yourselves, before you enter into that arrangement with the, you know, what can you afford to do? What's you know, how much can you actually afford to give to the artists without ripping them off?
[Voiceover]: Yeah.
Amanda Healy: Does that make sense to you? I hope it does because you know, it wasn't something that I actually really even thought given much thought to. But it's a very good question for sure.
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[Voiceover]: as we discussed earlier, you know, indigenous design and the community. It's all about sharing stories and telling stories. It's a very, very important part of the work that you guys do. I would really love to hear from you. The way that you've done that through online and through E commerce.
Amanda Healy: I have to say I do not feel like I've done as well as I could have in that space. We've moved from, you know, initially we were telling the stories of who we were, where we came from, who the artists were. And now we've sort of moved more into this is our product, this is what we look like. And trying to look consistent, high end, special, unique, beautiful. We started off using Facebook I think back in, you know, sort of the 14, 15, 16, because that was the predominant means of communicating with a broader audience at that time. And it's of course that's changed to Instagram. We're currently exploring Tick Tock which amuses me no end because you know, like the last thing I certainly want to do is be seen, you know, jumping around on Tick Tock or something. But I, I do have younger people in the, in the business who, who definitely should do that. You know, I work with a young man who has come out recently, come out of marketing studies at Curtin University and he's all about that. So, you know, it's interesting anyway, like it's beautiful to explore these things. I sort of, I still, you know, I'm old enough that I still have this discomfort with it, but I understand that it's necessary. I guess it's a new, you know, that's the way you meet or you hit or see or have a different audience. And you can interact with people differently at a different level with, you know, people can see and feel and, you know, it's just way more descriptive of what you're doing, I think. And it's a, it's fantastic. As I said, I still have a bit of a discomfort with it, but we're constantly trying to move ourselves into a position of a unique brand that, you know, represents Australia. We're high end. You know, we, we don't want to be seen as a quick turnaround product. We want a long relationship with our, with our clients. We, you know, we want people to keep our products for years and wear them for the artwork. The styling is pretty timeless, I think. So we're trying to represent that. And, you know, look, there's probably new platforms coming out every day that are great for fashion, but I'll wait for you to advise me on those, Jo. I'm sure you'll be the expert on it in no time at all.
[Voiceover]: Well, to me it sounds like you're doing a lot of work around your brand and strategy right now. And it sounds like you're exploring different ways of doing that online right now because that's your main sales channel, right?
Amanda Healy: It is, it is, yeah. In lots of ways. I, you know, like, we get quite a few sales, particularly out of New South Wales, because there's sort of a real growing interest and I, and I think the yes. Campaign has had quite a bit to do with that. There's certainly a growing interest and people are starting to find my brand. Not through the traditional social media channels, I'm guessing. It seems to be more. More through word of mouth, I'm guessing. So, you know, I really have to start to think. I've had shops here in Perth, but I've never had a very. Had very, very little representation in the eastern states. And so that's sort of one of the areas that, while that I will explore in the next little while, that's a bit hard if you're not there. I think, you know, retailers and particularly brands like this is one of those things that you actually need to be there and need to remind people all the time of who you are and what you do and why you're doing it. And, you know, this is what I've got, and these are the colors that we're doing this year. And this is what my silhouettes look like. And it's just such a constant. People are fickle, I guess, and. And lose interest if. If you're not right in their face all the time, too. Anyway, that's another challenge.
[Voiceover]: Speaking of being there, the last time I saw you, you had just come off the Runway at Fashion Week and you were jet setting off to Europe with an amazing team of emerging designers to share the stories of indigenous design overseas. Tell me about that. What's that been like for you when it comes to showcasing indigenous design on an international platform? And what's the reception been like?
Amanda Healy: Yeah, like, it's been so much fun. Really interesting. The whole program was initiated by the Brussels Australian Embassy, the Australian Embassy in Brussels. So they reached out to me on the off chance that I'd be interested in coming to Europe to do a presentation of my designs, because there was a big Aboriginal art show at the Art and History Museum in Brussels, which is the most incredibly beautiful building, as many of those old buildings are in Europe. You know, lots of marble and big open spaces and fantastic big columns and sweeping staircases and, you know, just. Just if, you know, if. If that fires your imagination. So, of course, I agreed to it and was able to convince the embassy over there that one of the things that would make it sort of really special is if I bought some other designers along with me that, you know, that although kurikin is fabulous, it's not representative of indigenous fashion across Australia. So at that time, I was a part of the Indigenous Fashion program run by Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair. So when I was working with Mara Collective out of Sydney, Nagali out of Melbourne, Leandra Swim out of the Northern Territory, so I reached out to them and said, hey, would you be interested in either coming or sending your clothes along? And of course, Julie and Denny from Mara and Nigali were very interested to do so. And Leandra quickly packed the bags and came with us. So we sort of, you know, went about seeking a bit of funding to support that, and BHP generously did that for us. So which meant we were able to take a cultural dance, a couple of models, you know, a backstage person, so we, you know, all indigenous and all a whole indigenous team, which is probably about the first time that would have been ever happened anywhere. We went over there and put on a fabulous show in this amazing art and history museum. And we had a young fellow from Perth, Jack Collard, who did a dance to clear the bad spirits away and to make it a nice space for everyone to be in. And then he sat down and played the didgeridoo. And we collaborated with the local fashion school just outside of a place called Medellin, I think, just outside of Brussels. And so those students all dressed up, they helped with hair and makeup and like, it was a great exercise for them, but a really fabulous exercise for us because the things that came from it were, after the show, everybody in the audience and there was audience of probably about 80 people and they were from the United nations, they were from the eu, they were from NATO. We had all of these people in Brussels who were, as well as the local fashion community who came along and they were pulling us up afterwards and, and saying that was, you know, like, that was the best show I've ever seen. How amazing was that? You know, that like. And, you know, Jack was the star of the show with his dancing down and he was all painted up and people couldn't believe it. And a number of people said, we have never seen anything as good as that before. But what was really, really special about it is our young models and, and young Jack who did the dance well for the first time, for many of them treated with real interest and respect. And that was such a nice exercise for them. And it sort of opened my eyes to the notion that actually there's a really decent market in Europe. They're hungry for our stories, they're hungry for something different for a start. They're hungry for our stories. They want to know who we are. And it's a platform for us to educate and inform about Aboriginal Australia, that we're still here, we're still doing, we're still making and we're still growing. So that was really nice. So from there we went across to London and did a private showing for BHP and BHP House in London there, where one of the employees said, I've worked for BHP for seven years and I never knew there was Aboriginal people in Australia. Which was like, for us, we were sort of going, oh, okay, you know, that's interesting. But of course, businesses don't, you know, don't educate on the social history of. Of countries, I don't think so. Anyway, it was a good opportunity for us to start to educate over there. And then we went across to Dublin to the Ambassadors, had a beautiful show for the Ambassadors residents there and creating commercial connections there. So kirikin is often sold into Europe. It's not a massive nothing, you know, I don't have a massive market in Europe, but I can see there's potential for it. There is interest in it. Every year leading up to summer, I would get maybe 15 or 20 orders out of Europe, Austria, France, Germany, Denmark, and then, of course, the UK itself and Ireland. So it has potential for me, but for us broadly. So as a result of that, at the end of last year, we set up a foundation here, which is about, as I was saying before, training Aboriginal women in business in, you know, life skills, in understanding how to do that. But one of the things we decided to do at that point, and I've recently applied, appointed a gorgeous young model, Shannon McGuire, who I think, you know. Well, she's not. She's not a young model anymore, I shouldn't say. She's sort of becoming a more mature model, but still gorgeous. And Shan is now the CEO, and we will run this, what we call traveling runways, and it is about education. So we're trying to raise funds to educate and inform and expose and all of those things into new markets for not just the development of those markets, but for the development of our people and understanding to open their minds to the fact that there is an interest and there will be. There will be a market there for us once we start to establish good networks. On the back of that, on the 19th of September this year next month, we'll be heading over to London and doing a huge Runway show for the Australian Embassy in Australia House, which is, again, another gorgeous European building. Big marble staircases and, you know, wonderful columns and open. Well, it's actually the Australian Embassy ballroom in London we'll be doing it in, which was also apparently used in one of the Harry Potter movies. So, anyway, just as a point of interest, so we're heading over there on the 9th. We'll head over a couple of days before to get our feet on the ground. We'll have seven or eight people going this year. We'll go from London to the HA, where we'll do another smaller event, and then on to Vienna. And I just, you know, Vienna will be working with a couple of fashion schools there just to tell our stories, to talk about what it is we do, how, you know, how we go about designing, why our designs and our. And our fabrics are different. You know, they're not any other designer. So. Yeah, so we'll be spending time in Europe again, along with half of Australia, by the sound of it. It looks like there's so, you know, so many people over there this year. It's amazing. But. But, yeah, that's a. That's a really exciting prospect. And we found that this whole issue of the cultural that, you know, like, making a really clear statement about our culture first up is important. So we're taking a couple of young men who are going to do the dance and play the didgeridoo and, you know, help tell the story of who we are and, and why we're different.
[Voiceover]: I think, Amanda, we've spoken a little bit about your European travels before, and I definitely know with some of those designers that you talked about, especially Leandra. So I know that Leandra has shown at Miami Fashion Week before, right? She was in Vogue US before she gained any local attention here. And I'm just blown away by the fact that an indigenous culture like ours that has been around for tens of thousands of years, the oldest living culture, still has to go overseas to gain that respect. I find that really quite sad and tragic, really, if I'm going to be honest. But what I do love is that those brands that you did take with you since then have actually gained quite a bit of attention, have been at Fashion Week, have won awards especially as well. What do you think the indigenous fashion landscape actually needs right now to thrive in the future and what would you like to see happen?
Amanda Healy: So for me, my end game is for everybody in Australia to be walking around with indigenous fashion on, to embrace it, to make it, to make it, you know, like we've got an opportunity to be really unique in the world of fashion. Really unique. And it is time for us to embrace that. That's what I'd love to see, is people to understand, you know, not everybody. It doesn't have to be your whole wardrobe, but gee, I'd love to see everybody in Australia wearing a few pieces that scream, you know what? This is Aboriginal art. We're different. We're, you know, we're a part of this. We all belong to one culture and we're still, I think we're still away from that.
[Voiceover]: I think as well, just in terms of where business is going, but also fashion as well. A lot of savvy business owners, execs, understand now that it is about telling stories. Customers want to feel a connection to a brand. They want to feel different. They want to understand that there's meaning behind what they purchase. And in my view, indigenous design is. It's a bit of a no brainer really, in my view. So I would love for that to thrive and for indigenous designers to become part of the mainstream industry as well. It's not something that you just find in a souvenir store.
Amanda Healy: And it's growing, it's definitely growing this confidence, you know, when, when the young designers see people like myself and Julie and Leandra and Denny from Negali. Being successful, it really, really makes a big difference. It creates a space for them. You know, one of the things that I will die happy knowing is that we've opened a door that had previously been closed.
[Voiceover]: Oh, I love that. I love that so much. Just my last question, Amanda. Can you tell me a little bit about what you're focused on at the moment at Kirakin? Because I know that you are just starting to develop workwear.
Amanda Healy: Yes, well, interestingly, when I say work, where I mean clothes that you can wear to work every day. So rather than, I guess, day wear would be. Might be a nicer. Might be a better way to say it, but, you know, doing shirts and skirts and suits and stuff like that, I always, have always done a bit of menswear, you know, shirts and clothing. But this year I've done jackets, et cetera, that men can wear. I'm actually doing just. I've just finished a little a mini collection of evening wear. Not sure if you've seen the pictures of that yet. So that collection is really around honoring the artists more so than the clothes themselves. So we've got a beautiful, you know, off the shoulder, lots of ruffles and, you know, like, high, low cut with. That actually celebrates the art of one of my artists here named Buffy Karana. And, you know, that's just called a Buffy dress. And then you'll see, accidentally, I didn't know Barbie was coming out, but I've got a super wild pink dress with a great big rose on it called the K dress. And the rose is made from a print called Storms in the Pilbara, which has all the colors of the Pilbara sitting on it. So there's this massive, big rose on this wild pink dress. And it's like, gorgeous. It looks gorgeous. So, you know, so those sorts of things you'll see on my Instagram page at the moment, they're starting to come through. And then. Yeah, so. So that's been a lot of fun. I've never thought about evening wear before, but it was sort of a way to honor a couple of artists who have been amazing. A couple of them have passed on. So it's just a way to say, you know, thank you, and the world needs to see how beautiful this art can look and not just the traditional format. So that's good. But right now I'm just waiting on my latest collection to come in, my samples for the latest collection to come in, which is what I'll be taking to London. And that's sort of more. It's really funny because I've got this really, you know, lovely formal wear and then this is sort of more the casual day wear sort of stuff. So it's sort of exciting. It's going to be hard to put them on the Runway together because they're so, you know, the two ends of the scale really. But that's not a bad challenge to have, right?
[Voiceover]: Amanda, thank you so much for today. I've loved chatting with you. What's the best way for people to contact you?
Amanda Healy: Www.kirikin K-I-R-R-I-K-I n.com we'd love you to come and have a look at us. We're on Instagram, Facebook. Just look for Kirakin.
[Voiceover]: Amanda, thank you so much.
Amanda Healy: Thank you. Jo. What a delight to talk talk to you too.
[Voiceover]: I know. Especially face to face as well.
Amanda Healy: Fabulous. Take care and have a great day.
[Voiceover]: I really enjoy hearing about people who take a leap of faith and embark on new career paths. Just like Amanda leaving the world of mining for the world of fashion and launching Kuriken. Here are a few takeaways that I've got got from my chat with Amanda. The first one is do the Right Thing. Kirakin is built on the premise of collaboration on fair and equal terms with indigenous designers. Amanda talked about the importance of understanding those you are working with, who they are, and the issues that surround their business. If you are considering working with indigenous brands, work out a model that offers a fair return to those you're working with. The second one is what's your legacy? Amanda talked about the enormous satisfaction she gets from giving opportunities to designers and Aboriginal women in business and the impact it has on the whole community. What doors can your business open? And lastly, tapping into your community. Amanda discussed working with other indigenous brands like Leandra Swim, Ngali and Mara Collective and how together they're working to grow the profile of indigenous fashion in Australia and around the world. Perhaps in your world there are other like minded people that you can connect with and form an alliance or partnership with in business.
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