MUSIC ART FASHION CULTURE
Representation has become one of Australia's most favourable measures of progress, the benchmark for inclusion and visibility. But beneath the celebration, another conversation is emerging. What if the future of Australian fashion isn't about earning a place at an existing table? What if it's about deciding that table no longer serves, and building another one entirely?
For Jade Leaman, founder of SewnbyMOB, both pathways matter. Some First Nations creatives are finding success within the existing fashion industry; others are building platforms of their own. Both, she believes, are meaningful forms of progress.
"Both are so incredibly exciting!" she says. "However I am always excited by someone creating their own space, and inviting you to eat at THEIR table."
It's a subtle distinction, but it shifts the conversation entirely. Representation speaks to access. Building your own platform speaks to authorship. That idea, creating rather than waiting, is central to SewnbyMOB, a platform built around First Nations creativity, collaboration and connection.
"I think the current fashion industry has a system that caters towards a certain demographic of people, and creates a barrier for others," she says. "Many people are so against change within the industry because it means changing something that has always catered to them."
Industries can become remarkably good at celebrating diversity without redistributing power. So much of the conversation around representation revolves around permission: who grants it, who receives it, who still waits for it. SewnbyMOB suggests another path: instead of waiting for institutions to become more inclusive, it asks what can be built independently, and who might be inspired by seeing it.
"Creating your own 'thing' instead of waiting on others truly empowers you," she says. "You connect with different people and are often thrown in the deep end to learn skills quickly on your own. It creates resilience and lights a fire in your belly that pushes you to work harder and get back up quicker when knocked down."
The result is a platform that challenges the usual pathways into the industry, creating opportunities for young First Nations creatives to collaborate and lead.
"I don't agree with the way the current fashion system is set up, which is why I created a space where First Nations creativity leads, and provides opportunities for collaboration between young creatives. I always try to push for a 100 percent First Nations team," she says. "The best thing to come out of it is the empowerment that comes from others seeing the shoots."
What surprised her was the impact beyond the people directly involved.
"I wasn't prepared for that. I now realise that seeing First Nations people collaborate within teams and lead spaces can inspire even people beyond the fashion industry."
Perhaps the clearest distinction Leaman makes is between being seen and being valued.
"Yes, there is 100 percent a difference between the two," she says. "To be valued is to feel like you are wanted in the space, that you are being represented authentically, and not being shown to tick a box for diversity."
For Leaman, SewnbyMOB has also become part of a more personal journey with culture and identity, including navigating the assumptions placed on lighter-skinned First Nations people.
"It's a persistent struggle for me, having always been told I don't 'look Aboriginal,' therefore it means I'm not," she says. Through connecting with other First Nations leaders in fashion and at university, she's begun reframing those ideas. "I'm reframing my brain to know that culture and being Aboriginal goes beyond looks and skin tones."
Identity, like culture itself, resists easy definitions. It unfolds over time. Leaman describes reconnecting with Country as an ongoing process, one she refuses to rush. "As much as I want to find out all of my family history right this second, it's not possible."
That patience has reshaped her understanding of success. "Currently, success to me is achieving my career goals. On a cultural level, success is connecting back to Country this year, and learning more art practices like weaving and painting that I can pass down to my children."
"I have learnt just how supportive the First Nations community can be," she says. "I was never prepared for how many amazing connections I would make. Every person I meet teaches me something about my culture that I didn't know before, and I am forever grateful and inspired."
Looking ahead, Leaman hopes SewnbyMOB continues to inspire younger First Nations creatives to build their own pathways.
"I want SewnbyMOB to have inspired younger mob to collaborate with one another, create their own teams and tables," she says. "To be inspired to not wait on others, and to lead with your own created spaces, with the intention to make the world see us."
For Leaman, the future of First Nations fashion isn't only about being included. It's about creating opportunities where creativity, culture and community can lead from the beginning.
For Jade Leaman, founder of SewnbyMOB, both pathways matter. Some First Nations creatives are finding success within the existing fashion industry; others are building platforms of their own. Both, she believes, are meaningful forms of progress.
"Both are so incredibly exciting!" she says. "However I am always excited by someone creating their own space, and inviting you to eat at THEIR table."
It's a subtle distinction, but it shifts the conversation entirely. Representation speaks to access. Building your own platform speaks to authorship. That idea, creating rather than waiting, is central to SewnbyMOB, a platform built around First Nations creativity, collaboration and connection.
"I think the current fashion industry has a system that caters towards a certain demographic of people, and creates a barrier for others," she says. "Many people are so against change within the industry because it means changing something that has always catered to them."
Industries can become remarkably good at celebrating diversity without redistributing power. So much of the conversation around representation revolves around permission: who grants it, who receives it, who still waits for it. SewnbyMOB suggests another path: instead of waiting for institutions to become more inclusive, it asks what can be built independently, and who might be inspired by seeing it.
"Creating your own 'thing' instead of waiting on others truly empowers you," she says. "You connect with different people and are often thrown in the deep end to learn skills quickly on your own. It creates resilience and lights a fire in your belly that pushes you to work harder and get back up quicker when knocked down."
The result is a platform that challenges the usual pathways into the industry, creating opportunities for young First Nations creatives to collaborate and lead.
"I don't agree with the way the current fashion system is set up, which is why I created a space where First Nations creativity leads, and provides opportunities for collaboration between young creatives. I always try to push for a 100 percent First Nations team," she says. "The best thing to come out of it is the empowerment that comes from others seeing the shoots."
What surprised her was the impact beyond the people directly involved.
"I wasn't prepared for that. I now realise that seeing First Nations people collaborate within teams and lead spaces can inspire even people beyond the fashion industry."
Perhaps the clearest distinction Leaman makes is between being seen and being valued.
"Yes, there is 100 percent a difference between the two," she says. "To be valued is to feel like you are wanted in the space, that you are being represented authentically, and not being shown to tick a box for diversity."
For Leaman, SewnbyMOB has also become part of a more personal journey with culture and identity, including navigating the assumptions placed on lighter-skinned First Nations people.
"It's a persistent struggle for me, having always been told I don't 'look Aboriginal,' therefore it means I'm not," she says. Through connecting with other First Nations leaders in fashion and at university, she's begun reframing those ideas. "I'm reframing my brain to know that culture and being Aboriginal goes beyond looks and skin tones."
Identity, like culture itself, resists easy definitions. It unfolds over time. Leaman describes reconnecting with Country as an ongoing process, one she refuses to rush. "As much as I want to find out all of my family history right this second, it's not possible."
That patience has reshaped her understanding of success. "Currently, success to me is achieving my career goals. On a cultural level, success is connecting back to Country this year, and learning more art practices like weaving and painting that I can pass down to my children."
"I have learnt just how supportive the First Nations community can be," she says. "I was never prepared for how many amazing connections I would make. Every person I meet teaches me something about my culture that I didn't know before, and I am forever grateful and inspired."
Looking ahead, Leaman hopes SewnbyMOB continues to inspire younger First Nations creatives to build their own pathways.
"I want SewnbyMOB to have inspired younger mob to collaborate with one another, create their own teams and tables," she says. "To be inspired to not wait on others, and to lead with your own created spaces, with the intention to make the world see us."
For Leaman, the future of First Nations fashion isn't only about being included. It's about creating opportunities where creativity, culture and community can lead from the beginning.