As we are based in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia, Eva acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country. We exist on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and we acknowledge that this always was and always will be Aboriginal land. 

In celebration of NAIDOC week, we wanted to share some of our favourite Indigenous-owned businesses that you can support today. All of these businesses are sustainable, give back to the community, and have roots to Indigenous Australia. They each share their cultural roots with the wider community in their own ways. 

Bush Medijina

Selling a wide range of skincare and beauty products, which include native botanicals used in bush medicine, Bush Medijina are sharing healing knowledge from First Nations people through their products.

"Our traditional knowledge comes from our connection to our land, native botanicals, our ancestors, and our stories.  We have been using our bush knowledge and medicines to heal ourselves for generations.  We want to lift our indigenous people and others up so that we can be stronger and healthier together.”

Governed by a 100% female majority-Indigenous board, Bush Medijina have set up a program to support Warningakalina women to be strong in culture, wellbeing, education, and respect.

"We struggle with domestic violence, chronic disease, youth suicide, substance abuse, illiteracy, and other social problems.  Our life expectancy is about forty-eight years old and we attend family funerals on average every two to three weeks.  Many of our children and grandchildren are in prison, and this causes us heartache and worry.”

As well as selling high-quality, sustainable products, they help women to find employment, run workshops in schools, and share their knowledge of bush medicine in the community.

Amber Days

Born from a mother’s desire to create garments that defy fast fashion, this ethical childrenswear brand is an Aboriginal-owned business with ethics at its core. Their vibrantly patterned clothes are made with organic fabric and designed in collaboration with other Aboriginal artists.

"With each collection, we collaborate with different Aboriginal artists to produce original, dreamy, fabrics. When outsourcing skills and services, we prioritise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, refugee and migrant women, because as we know, women are the leading forces behind healthy communities and society.” - Corina, founder of Amber Days

Briar Blooms

Selling contemporary Aboriginal artwork and dried flower arrangements, Briar Blooms is a 100% Aboriginal owned small business based in the Bass Coast region of Victoria.

“This little adventure all began as a way to remember my daughter Briar, who passed away shortly after she took her first breath. After receiving dozens of flower arrangements during this period, which sadly wilted away, I began creating everlasting flower arrangements, vibrant artworks, and self-care items to bring joy to people going through a tough time.” - founder of Briar Blooms

As well as the originals, you can purchase the artworks as high-quality prints to brighten up your space. 

Clothing the Gaps

A profit-for-purpose clothing company with a strong political statement, Clothing the Gaps is a business that celebrates Aboriginal culture. Their profits go towards the Closing the Gaps Foundation, which contributes to programs endorsing women’s health, sharing Aboriginal culture, and more. 

They also care deeply about helping Indigenous people gain employment, and 81% of their own staff is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. They are a certified B Corp, with ethical and sustainable production as a core value of their business.

Bangarra Dance Theatre

Bangarra is a dance company that continues the rich tradition of storytelling that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are known for, sharing their culture through dance. 

"We are for the hundreds of First Nations Communities across Australia — and for anyone who wants to be a part of our story.”

Bangarra’s performances follow a ‘creative lifecycle’ whereby, once a work has been shown to audiences all over the country, they “return the work to be performed on Country, in thanks and acknowledgement of the reciprocal relationship between the story and Country”. 

You can catch their current show ‘SandSong’ in Melbourne, Sydney and Bendigo until September. 

Ginny's Girl Gang

Crafting custom jackets as well as their line of ethical apparel, Ginny’s Girl Gang brings together Indigenous culture, art and fashion to make a statement.

Ginny is a Gomaroi/Gamilaraay woman from Brisbane, who created Ginny’s Girl Gang - naming it after the squad formed between her and her three nieces. Ginny believes in the importance of sharing knowledge and stories with the next generation. This is clear to see in the wonderful clothes she’s created.

Nood

Offering a wide range of natural, environmentally friendly cleaning supplies, personal and home care products, Nood is a majority Aboriginal owned company with a focus on sustainability. Like Bush Medijina, their products feature native Australian botanicals. 

"Nood is built with the mindset of bettering our land, our communities and our business. We aim to nurture and inspire Indigenous Australians and Australia as a whole to learn and re-connect further with the land that nurtures us.”

Ngali 

Ngali, meaning ‘we’ or ‘us’ in a number of Indigenous Australian languages, is an ethical fashion label “bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artwork to the world through the medium of clothing and collectibles”.

“As a Wiradjuri woman, creating Ngali has been a journey embedded in reflexivity and culture. When I began I asked, what could fashion as a platform do to communicate our stories to a wider audience and how could fashion work to change mindsets about fashion consumption and respect for Country and celebrate Indigenous creativity across mediums.” - Denni Francisco, founder and designer

Willie Weston

Willie Weston collaborates with First Nations artists through Aboriginal-owned art centres to create fabrics and wallpapers for interior spaces.

All of their products are printed to order to eliminate wastage, they use water-based inks to minimise water used during production, and they exclude all harmful chemicals from the creation process. Furthermore, they ship their products with a certified carbon neutral courier company.

We love hearing from you, so let us know your favourite Indigenous-owned businesses over on our Instagram @eva.home.