Please select your country to shop online and see products that are available in your country.
New Zealand
Australia
Journal/Responsibility/IN CONVERSATION: LUCY SIMPSON OF GAAWAA MIYAY

IN CONVERSATION: LUCY SIMPSON OF GAAWAA MIYAY

5 Oct 2023

Lucy, tell us a little bit about yourself & your history with design and art.

I graduated from UNSW Art & Design in 2009 and established Gaawaa Miyay in the same year. My connection to design and making started at an early age, as a young girl making jewellery from emu feathers and echidna quills for family and friends (by-product of big family and community meals) as a way of maintaining connections - a holder of country and a tactile vehicle of exchange. These early years helped to form a grounded and practical understanding of sustainable practice for me - connecting to cultural practice and lessons on value and the use of materials to both minimise waste and celebrate relationships.

Who or what was your inspiration for this collection, Of Place? / Where do you draw inspiration from in your designs?

Country and family forms the grounding and is at the heart of all that I do. Celebrating the beauty vastness and diversity of place is fundamental in a time of ecological crisis and upheaval. Sharing story in this way brings messages of balance and wellbeing - and responsibility - to audiences in everyday ways, through tactility and functional ways. First Nations design is grounded in this principle; functional objects which hold story and memory; the tools of survival.

What’s your favourite piece from this collection and why?

It is difficult to pick just one! I love that the whole collection has been created mindfully and through considered processes - honouring Country / Gunimaa / our natural environment wholeheartedly. I love that the individual pieces have been considered for our climate and lifestyle, and that the whole range is so wearable yet sophisticated. If I had to choose just one piece it would have to be the men’s linen Garaarr shirt... it’s breathable and comfortable and being a fan of a looser fit I also love that the pieces offer that flexibility for all genders. The print itself is also a special one and holds so much significance across our whole country; with the Kangaroo Grass a symbol of life, and sustainance while being so beautifully and uniquely Australian. Well and truly one of our iconic fibres of place.

Tell us about the featured prints from this collection?

Each print created for the collection holds a story, a story which connects specifically to yuwaalaraay Country and my own experience, but also an overarching narrative which I feel most would be able to connect with or find connections to. It is a visual language of place,a seasonal yarn etched across bark, drawn in sand, written in the winds and growing from the earth. From the flowering of the kangaroo grass to the coming of the spring wind and the emergence of the hibernating animals, it also forms a story of time in this very moment known to most as Spring and Summer. A beautiful and wonderful world which since the begining has nurtured us, and one which calls for our nurturing in return.

Mayrraa: Wind

A design which speaks of wind, change, and the transformation that blows across plains country with the coming of new seasons.

Ngarribaagili: Above

Mapping Country, looking upon and understanding Country as one big vast and interconnected story of systems and relationships.

Garaarr: Kangaroo Grass

A print which acknowledges the imporance of our native grasses and their role in sustaining healthy ecological communities. The fibres of place.

Yawa-Li: Track

This print represents the visual markers of time and movement that are etched across country, and the lessons that come from being in tune with the natural world.

Tell us a bit about the techniques and methods you used to create the 4 prints. Where did you learn these techniques?

I have applied a range of print and mark making techniques to tell this story. They have come from a lifetime of exploring the natural world and experimenting with different processes to translate understand and connect. From painting with acrylics and with watercolour and ochre pigments, to ink drawings and lino print, as well as incorporating original photography and creation of cyanotype / sun prints. The aim was to create a diverse range of textile prints that could be applied and adapted across a range of materials and garments. A cohesive collection which also held a diversity in visual language representative of time place and experience.

6. Desktop
6. Desktop2
6. Desktop3

What does it mean to you to be able to share your art and designs with Australia?

I am honoured to share story, design and country in this way. It makes me proud that family community and broader audiences can connect to County and stories of place in tactile everyday ways through wearable pieces. For me creating something beautiful and relatable is key to communicating the plight of Country and relaying the responsibility we all hold to care for Gunimaa / our natural world (the mother). It has been a wonderful experience connecting with JAG in meaningful ways through a shared purpose of creating uniquely Australian design with a purpose and message to share. I look forward to the unfolding journey of this relationship and working together on future projects honouring Country and story.

7. Desktop
7. Desktop2

What’s next for Gaawaa Miyay?

I am currently developing works for two upcoming exhibitions which share the plight of our Freshwater ecologies and endemic species. Working in local colour / natural dye and pigment and the fibres and materials of place. There are two public art projects also in the works, and I am currently a PHD candidate at the University of Technology Sydney, with research that explores the role of First Nations design as tool / conduit to Baayangalibiyaay or notions of wellbeing (people and place).

share:

SHOP THE OUTFIT

+ QUICK ADD

$100.00$39.00
Final Sale
    EARTH

    + QUICK ADD

    $200.00$69.00
    Final Sale
      PISTACHIO

      + QUICK ADD

      $70.00$39.00
      Final Sale
        WASHED BLACK

        + QUICK ADD

        $90.00$39.00
        Final Sale
          BLACK / ECRU

          + QUICK ADD

          $100.00$70.00
            WASHED INK
            30% off applied30% off applied

            + QUICK ADD

            $160.00$39.00
            Final Sale
              PISTACHIO

              RELATED ARTICLES

              Fibres for our future. Here at JAG, we're all about leaving a lighter touch on the world we love. We're on a mission to drive a transition to low impact fibres. And guess what? We've put together a list of our favourite materials that JAG revolves around. We value transparency with our customers, so we've shared our top preferred fibre choices and why we've made the conscious decision to use them.

              1 May 2024 | 

              Fashion has ever been evolving, and with it – the technology that surrounds it. JAG is one of the Australian brands at the forefront of digital 3D fashion design, building the use of this technology into our design, manufacturing and marketing process. Read more about the process here.

              4 Jan 2024 | 

              This festive season, transform your gift-giving into an art with our handpicked selection of JAG lifestyle essentials. Whether you're shopping for the fashion-forward friend or the style-savvy family member, we've got you covered. Make sure you’re the favourite child this Christmas by surprising your loved ones with gifts that go beyond the ordinary.

              21 Nov 2023 | 

              Explore the world of JAG, as we see how our customers like to style some of the best pieces of the season. Ultra-versatile and made for a relaxed, laid-back summer aesthetic, our Spring Summer collection embodies a coastal Australian lifestyle. Get inspired by some of our faves, who show us how to seamlessly style the best of JAG's summer collection.

              16 Nov 2023 | 

              In the wake of our SS23 campaign shoot, we're thrilled to share with you some insider beauty tips from our favourite hair and makeup artist, Nisha Van Berkel who has offered us some of her top tips for glowy skin and a natural radiance to help you step into the new season with a natural glow.

              14 Sep 2023 | 

              It was an honor to be a part of the Indigenous Fashion Projects runway show this August, showcasing our JAG x GAAWAA MIYAY capsule, titled 'Of Place'. Country to Couture is a runway show held on Larrakia Country in Darwin, where First Nations textiles, fashion and art collide in a colourful showcase of creativity from across Australia. Country to Couture is a contemporary way of cultural storytelling, and sharing knowledge.

              31 Aug 2023 | 

              Denim is the hardest working part of any wardrobe. It’s a timeless staple that we turn to as part of our everyday wardrobe, and at JAG, we have been perfecting denim since 1972. Taking care of it is in our genes.

              17 Aug 2023 | 

              For Spring / Summer 2023 we have taken inspiration from one's connection to country and place as we strive to employ more circular design principles at JAG.​

              7 Aug 2023 | 

              You might have noticed that we’re a little obsessed with linen. It’s one of the oldest cultivated fibres in human history, with most of the world’s linen being grown on the coastal band of Western Europe stretching from Northern France through to Belgium and the Netherlands. Linen fibres are thicker and longer than cotton, which gives it the strength and longevity that JAG products are known for.

              1 Aug 2023 | 

              Polyester, and other manufactured synthetic fibres such as nylon and elastane, are derived from petroleum. Their use and disposal comes with negative environmental impacts like the leaching of microplastics through wash and wear, as well as the burning of fossil fuels. At JAG, we have a strict policy of using no synthetics unless they provide a function that prolongs the life of the garment.

              1 Aug 2023 | 

              Our preference is to source the most responsibly grown cotton. Some of the types of cotton used in our timeless designs include organic cotton, Better Cotton Initiative, Good Earth Cotton, GOTS, among others.

              1 Aug 2023 | 

              Regenerated cellulosics are a bit like cotton, but a whole lot better. Man-made cellulosic fibres (aka, MMFC’s), commonly known as viscose, rayon and modal, are unique in the world of textiles. They’re created through a hybrid process where natural materials – wood pulp (the ‘cellulose’ of trees) or cotton waste – are broken down and mechanically turned into a pure cellulosic fibre. Though they mimic the lustre and fluidity of silk, not all these fibres are created equally.

              1 Aug 2023 | 

              Denim has been around since way back in 17th century, and was originally named after a city in France where it was first made: Nîmes, also known as ‘Serge de Nîmes’, which eventually became the ‘denim’ as we know it today. Fast forward a bit to 1873, denim was made even more famous by an American tailor who manufactured the first rivet-enforced denim pants. Initially designed as durable workwear, denim gained popularity in the 1950s and has been an everyday wardrobe hero ever since.

              1 Aug 2023 | 

              Leather is one of those materials that’s been used for thousands of years, enduring through its ability to provide durability, insulation, and protection from the elements. Our use of leather is super limited for obvious reasons; and we’re extra committed to full transparency on where our leather is coming from and conscious of how many products we offer that are made from leather.

              1 Aug 2023 | 

              We’re on a mission to make your fashion choices easier. Wool is a key fibre for us (moreso in the winter months of course). We love it because it’s one of the earth’s most renewable fibres, being an annually shorn and replenished resource. Its unique structure gives it a natural ability to breathe, stay wrinkle-free, and adapt to different climates and situations, and as a fibre it has great recycling potential.

              1 Aug 2023 | 

              Yuwaalaraay wirringgaa Lucy Simpson is Creative Director and Principal Designer and Maker behind Gaawaa Miyay, a First Nations process led studio. Lucy’s work is grounded in and guided by the timeless and sophisticated philosophies of First Nations design.

              31 Jul 2023 | 

              JAG is exploring the next frontier in digital design by introducing 3D Virtual Fashion Technology that is revolutionizing the way we design and develop our apparel. The use of this innovative technology allows us to dramatically reduce sample waste, trial unlimited fabrications and print layouts in turn reducing sample production by over 50% and improving design sustainability ethos.

              24 Jul 2023 | 

              Good Earth Cotton ® is a proudly Australian owned farm that has been developing industry-leading regenerative farming practices for years, leading the way in lower impact agricultural models for the growth and harvest of cotton. Good Earth Cotton ® seeks to minimise the environmental footprint of their cotton and maximise the benefits it can provide to soil health and biodiversity.

              26 Jun 2023 | 
              Loading