Supporting Reconciliation
Beyond our words, the news, the streets and voices, we are talking to you all the time. Our history, our pain, our pride and our story is all around you. It is in the painting, the weaving, the making. It is in the Country, the grass, the sun, the trees. Open your heart and listen. We have been talking to you forever.Yatu Widders Hunt, proud descendant of the Anaiwan and Dunghutti peoples from north-western NSW. General Manager of Indigenous social change agency, Cox Inall Ridgeway, and founder of online community @ausindigenousfashion.
Reconciliation Action Plan
At Country Road, we want to better understand the breadth of experience and cultures of First Nations Peoples in order to support reconciliation in Australia. There is so much we can learn from the world's oldest living cultures and we are committed to doing so.
Country Road proudly accepts the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Country Road is committed to walking in partnership with First Nations Peoples into a more inclusive Australia, through a continual process of two-way learning, deep listening and demonstrating respect for First Nations cultures. This is reflected through our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and partnerships, collaborations and initiatives that we continue to undertake. We’re currently working to develop the next stage of our RAP, and look forward to sharing the progress of our reconciliation journey.
Partnerships
In 2019, we partnered with First Nations social change agency, Cox Inall Ridgeway, to facilitate cultural awareness training for our staff. Since then, Cox Inall Ridgeway has become our cultural advisor, offering ongoing guidance and support. We are proud to engage First Nations creatives on screen and behind the scenes of our campaigns, shoots and wider brand stories. We aim to amplify First Nations voices through our channels, including as guest contributors on our online journal, Our World.
In 2020, we launched our partnership with the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation (DAAFF) to support emerging First Nations arts and design talent. Through this partnership, we support DAAFF's Country to Couture runway event and National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA), offering a 12-month tailored mentorship to the category winner.
In June 2023, we launched our First Nations co-design with Kieren Karritpul. We first met Kieren in 2020, following his Textile Design Award win at the National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA). Our relationship with Kieren grew over a number of years and resulted in an 8-piece dining range, influenced by the organic forms in Kieren's artworks. The artist was involved at every step of the design process, which resulted in five ceramic bowls and three linen textiles. Each design was proudly crafted in Australia in collaboration with local makers.
In July 2023, we announced a first-of-its-kind initiative in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria. The Country Road + NGV First Nations Commissions is a biennial mentorship and exhibition program designed to celebrate emerging First Nations artists. Through this series, First Nations artists and designers are paired with esteemed industry mentors, who support and guide the artists to create their most ambitious works to date.