The National Indigenous Fashion Awards, or NIFA, is an Australian awards ceremony for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the textile and fashion industry.
Background NIFA was created in 2020 by Indigenous Fashion Projects (IFP), a program which is part of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF) Foundation. It was created to showcase and celebrate the "innovation, diversity and ethical practices of Australia’s First Nations peoples in fashion and textiles, whilst contributing to the capacity building of the sector".
The awards are held annually on Larrakia Country, in Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia.
NIFA is supported by several sponsors, as well as the Australian Government's Office for the Arts as part of its Indigenous Visual Arts Industry program. Darwin Innovation Hub has also supported the event. In 2024, QIC began supporting three NIFA awards; the Community Collaboration, Wearable Art and Business Achievement. NIFA's principal medial partner is National Indigenous Television (NITV). The creative director is Nina Fitzgerald.
The awards provide pathways and opportunities for Indigenous creatives, with award recipients winning varying prizes including money prizes and mentorship programs.
Categories
Current NIFA presents awards in the following seven categories; Fashion Designer Award: for designers who have excelled both creatively and commercially. The award has been resented by Country Road since NIFA's inception in 2020. Traditional Adornment Award: for the creation of items that are made and worn to define and express culture. Community Collaboration Award: recognises relationships between First Nations communities and the textile and fashion industry, for collaborations where Indigenous peoples' agency is prioritised and the social and economic benefits flow to communities. Business Achievement Award: for a business showing both creative and commercial success, and having a positive impact on the Indigenous fashion sector. Textile Design Award Wearable Art Award Cecilia Cubillo Young Achiever Award: for individuals aged between 15-25 who excels in one or more areas including fashion, textile design, modelling, styling, wearable art, adornment and jewellery. It was introduced in 2024. The award is presented by Franchesca Cubillo, and is named after her mother, Cecilia Cubillo.
Previous
Cultural Adornment and Wearable Art Award: last presented in 2021, and divided into two separate categories of "Traditional Adornment" and "Wearable Art" in 2022. Social and Environmental Contribution Award: last presented in 2021. Special Recognition Award: last presented in 2021.
Awards by year
2026 The 2026 NIFA ceremony was held on the 5th of August. There were three judges for the awards in 2026: Lisa Friedl, the creative director of Country Road; Lindyn Rowland, the founder and creative director of Rowland Vision; and Julie Shaw, a Yuwaalaraay woman and the founder and creative director of MAARA Collective, and the recipient of the Fashion Design and Community Collaboration NIFA awards in 2020.
One winner, Padmini Govind from Tharangni Studio, flew in from India to receive the Community Collaboration Award alongside Janet Marawarr from Bábbarra Women’s Centre. +2026 NIFA winnersAwardWinnerSupported byFashion Designer AwardMichelle Pulatuwayu Woody Minnapinni (Jilamara Arts & Crafts Association)Country RoadTraditional Adornment AwardDelvene Cockatoo-CollinsDesartCommunity Collaboration AwardBábbarra Women’s Centre x Tharangini StudioQICBusiness Achievement AwardKAFTA (Kimberley Aboriginal Fashion Textiles Art)Canberra CentreTextile Design AwardLillardia Briggs-HoustonRoyal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)Wearable Art AwardLucy Simpson (Gaawaa Miyay Design)Pacific WerribeeCecilia Cubillo Young Achiever AwardJake PowersFranchesca Cubillo
2025 A collaboration between Djilpin Arts artists and Kate Sale and Fiona Gavino was given a "highly commended" status. The Business Achievement Award was accepted by Lauren Jarrett on behalf of her daughter, Melissa Greenwood. The judges were Lisa Waup (an artist and curator), Yatu Widders Hunt (of Cox Inall Ridgeway and board member of the Australian Fashion Council), and Jessica Poynter (head of design for accessories at Country Road). +2025 NIFA winnersAwardWinnerSupported byFashion Designer AwardClair Helen ParkerCountry RoadTraditional Adornment AwardRena Ngalinggama Guyula (Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts)Helen KaminskiCommunity Collaboration AwardJilamara Arts and Crafts Association x Tiwi ArtistsCanberra CentreBusiness Achievement AwardMiimi & Jiinda (Melissa Greenwood)QICTextile Design AwardRhonda Sharpe (Yarrenyty Arltere Artists)RMITWearable Art AwardCleonie QuayleEastlandCecilia Cubillo Young Achiever AwardCindy RostronFranchesca Cubillo
2024 The Cecilia Cubillo Young Achiever Award was introduced in 2024. The NIFA winners and nominees were able to have their designs tour at Canberra Centre and Eastland. Michelle Maynard, the manager of IFP, crowned the award winners.
The judges included; Yatu Widders Hunt, Elaine George (the first Aboriginal model to be featured on the cover of Vogue), Lisa Waup, and Nimmi Premaratne (of Country Road). +2024 NIFA winnersAwardWinnerSupported byFashion Designer AwardSimone ArnolCountry RoadTraditional Adornment AwardPhilomena Yeatman (Yarrabah Arts & Cultural Precinct)Helen KaminskiCommunity Collaboration AwardMelissa Greenwood (Miimi & Jiinda) x Gilat Shani (Unreal Fur)Canberra CentreBusiness Achievement AwardNgali (Denni Francisco)QICTextile Design AwardJay Jurrupula Rostron (Bábbarra Women's Centre)RMITWearable Art AwardLillardia Briggs-HoustonEastlandCecilia Cubillo Young Achiever AwardKahlia RogersFranchesca Cubillo
2023 The awards ceremony took place on Wednesday, the 9th of August, at the Deckchair Cinema in Darwin. Tickets to the event were sold out. There were 60 nominees across the six categories this year, a record number for NIFA. The judges were Yatu Widders Hunt, Lisa Waup, Nimmi Premaratne, and Perina Drummond (founder of Jira Models). +2023 NIFA winnersAwardWinnerSupported byFashion Designer AwardLillardia Briggs-HoustonCountry RoadTraditional Adornment AwardGapuwiyak Culture & Arts artistsNorthern Territory GovernmentCommunity Collaboration AwardGapuwiyak Culture & Arts x Aly de GrootCanberra CentreBusiness Achievement AwardIkuntji ArtistsDAAF FoundationTextile Design AwardRowena Morgan (Nagula Jarndu)RMITWearable Art AwardRhonda Sharpe (Yarrenyty Arltere Artists)Robina Town Centre
2022 DAAF Creative Director Shilo McNamee spoke at the ceremony, which was held on the 4th of August. The IFP joined forces with fashion magazine Marie Claire to cover the awards, and the magazine created and published a photoshoot of the winners. The judges were Yatu Widders Hunt, Prue-Ellen Thomas (head of marketing and communications at the Australian Fashion Council), Jacklyn Rivera (a design manager at Country Road), and Perina Drummond.
Bábbarra Women's Centre, Bábbarra Designs, was also given a "highly commended" status. The centre was a nominee for the Business Achievement Award. +2022 NIFA winnersAwardWinnersSupported byFashion Designer AwardDenni Francisco (Ngali)Country RoadTraditional Adornment AwardEsther YarllarllaDAAF FoundationCommunity Collaboration AwardMimili Maku Arts (Linda Puna) x Unreal FurCanberra CentreBusiness Achievement AwardClothing The Gaps (Laura Thompson)KIN FashionTextile Design AwardPhilomena Yeatman (Yarrabah Arts & Cultural Precinct)RMITWearable Art AwardLillardia Briggs-Houston (Ngarru Miimi)Northern Territory Government
2021 The ceremony was hosted by Rachel Hocking. There were 31 nominees over the six categories. The judges were Yatu Widders Hunt, Maria Rinaldi-Cant, Gary Lang, and Leila Naja Hibri. +2021 NIFA winnersAwardWinnerSupported byFashion Design AwardDenni Francisco (Ngali)Country RoadCultural Adornment and Wearable Art AwardPaul McCannDAAF FoundationCommunity Collaboration AwardAnindilyakwa Arts with Dr Aly de Groot and Anna ReynoldsDarwin Innovation HubSpecial Recognition AwardBima WearNorthern Territory GovernmentTextile Design AwardEunice Napanangka Jack (Ikuntji Artists)RMITEnvironmental and Social Contribution AwardMylene Holroyd (Pormpuraaw Art & Culture), featuring Simone Arnol designsNorthern Territory Government
2020 The ceremony was broadcast live on NITV and hosted by Rachel Hocking, anchor of The Point. There were 33 nominees for the awards. Guest performer Eric Avery provided the music for the show, and Mary Williams gave the Larrakia Welcome to Country.
The inaugural NIFA event was originally intended to be held as an in person gala, but ultimately had to be hosted virtually, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. +AwardWinnerSupported byFashion Design AwardJulie Shaw (MAARA Collective)Country RoadCultural Adornment and Wearable Art AwardPeggy Griffiths (Waringarri Aboriginal Arts)DAAF FoundationCommunity Collaboration AwardJulie Shaw (MAARA Collective) x Bula'bula Aboriginal CorporationNorthern Territory GovernmentSpecial Recognition AwardBede TungutalumNorthern Territory GovernmentTextile Design AwardKieren Karritpul (Merrepen Arts, Language & Culture)RMIT and Ross BonthorneEnvironmental and Social Contribution AwardNinti One LimitedNorthern Land Council
References