When Australian designer Amanda Healy walked into Delhi this week, it was not just for another runway show—it was a celebration of ten years of her label Kirrikin, which has long championed the stories of Aboriginal Australians like herself.
Presented by the Australian High Commission, in collaboration with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) and the Centre for Australia-India Relations, the ‘Connection to Country’ showcase marked Kirrikin’s first major debut in India. “To me, this is an opportunity to tell our stories and show what we’re capable of as Aboriginal people,” Healy says. “Like India, our country was colonised—our people were excluded and removed from their lands. This is about showing that we’re still here, capable of building and creating on our own terms.”
For its India debut, Kirrikin’s pieces were designed in Australia by First Nations artists and crafted in Noida, fusing hand-painted Indigenous Australian artworks with Indian craftsmanship. Healy lights up when speaking of the collaboration: “I have to say it’s been a lot of fun. The quality and range of fabrics here is remarkable—it isn’t available anywhere else in the world. Indian artisans see things differently, but they always respond beautifully to what our Australian market looks for.”
Runway spirit
The Delhi runway came alive with Kirrikin’s signature earthy hues and Indigenous prints from its ‘Evoke’ collection—fitted blazers, sophie pants, flowy skirts, and wrap dresses in soft viscose crepe inspired by the Noongar people of southwest Western Australia echoing trees, flowers, and hills—a sleek, tailored collaboration seen through an Indigenous lens of nature.
The show also unveiled Kirrikin’s newest designs—stone-embellished asymmetric gowns, flowy A-line skirts, and cashmere scarves with abstract dotted colourwork inspired by Central Australian Dot Paintings, which trace their origins to sacred ceremonial designs. The lineup moved fluidly from black-floral motif gowns and ripple-patterned blazers to the cardigans, tube tops, and tiered ruffled skirts. Each look balanced sophistication with playfulness, perfectly suited for the modern summer wardrobe. Closing the show was the Kay Dress – Pink, designed by artist Kay White, a romantic piece in soft pink with a sculptural floral accent.
Healy calls the line-up her “Millennium Collection”, a nod to Kirrikin’s decade-long journey and the women who shaped it. “Kirrikin is a social enterprise—everything we earn goes back to our artists. I work with 12 Aboriginal women, most of them single mothers, building sustainable incomes for them. It’s about honouring their stories and creating economic inclusion through art,” she says.
Founded in late 2014, Kirrikin—meaning “Sunday’s best clothes” in Healy’s Wonnarua language—was born from a gap Healy saw in the market. “There was no authentic connection to Aboriginal culture. Nothing in our fashion or retail market recognised us, gave back, or told our stories,” she says.
Over the years, she’s learned to bridge that gap not just through design, but dialogue. “We can use these clothes to make Australians proud of our Aboriginal culture—one of the oldest living cultures on Earth,” she says. “Our oral tradition and stories remain true even after thousands of years, and seeing them reflected in art and fashion feels powerful.”
Men in colour
That vision extends to men’s fashion too. Kirrikin, known for its fun, expressive pieces, expanded its men’s line beyond ties and jackets to include multicoloured blazers and shirts—shown for the first time on the Delhi runway. “Men are becoming more open to prints and colours—not just for casual wear but for work,” says Healy. “It used to be seen as something for weekends, but now you see men in colourful shirts at work. This year I’m planning to add formal jackets and more tailored pieces.”
Having taken over Australia’s fashion scene, Kirrikin has since exhibited in Chile, the UK, Japan, the US, and Saudi Arabia. Healy sees India as a natural next step. She hopes to bring Indigenous Australian fashion closer to Indian audiences through collaboration and even a homeware line inspired by Aboriginal prints. “In Australia, homeware is usually plain, but here in India, you love colour and print—it’s inspiring,” she says. “We entertain outside a lot during summer, so I’m imagining bright, printed linens outdoors.”
For Healy, India’s shared history of colonisation and its cultural love for storytelling make it an ideal collaborator. “Indians understand colonisation. You love colour, you understand storytelling through fabric. Maybe the easiest way to enter the market is to collaborate with a local designer, but it would be very hard to choose, given the range of designers here and their capability,” adds Healy.
As a sustainable label, Kirrikin balances luxury with ethics. “We produce only what’s needed and ensure our fabrics and makers meet high standards,” Healy says. “Fast fashion, I just wish it never happened. I’d rather make something that, when it’s eventually discarded, breaks down quickly. We check our fabrics, our producers, and their work environments.”
Stepping into its next decade, Healy says Kirrikin carries the same belief she started with— that fashion can be a vessel for memory, pride, and cultural continuity. “People are now beginning to understand that Indigenous culture lives close to the earth, honours it, and tells its story through every line, colour, and pattern.”
