Outback Fashion

Since 2018, Signal Creative and Outback Arts have delivered fashion, textile design, and costume-making workshops across Outback NSW, empowering regional communities through creativity. What began as a small initiative—the River Stories project in Walgett—led to the creation of four striking costumes made from recycled materials. This project sparked a growing passion for sustainable fashion and textile design, evolving into Walgett Fashion Week and, by 2023, the highly successful Outback Fashion Month.

Outback Fashion Month expanded to include hands-on fashion workshops, styling sessions, and community photoshoots in Brewarrina, Bourke, and Walgett. With a strong focus on supporting women in regional and remote communities, participants gained practical skills in textile printing, fabric draping, and garment creation, culminating in the opportunity to model their designs in professional photoshoots.

In 2024, the Outback Fashion Series continued to grow, reaching new communities including Cobar, Coonamble, Nyngan, and Warren, further strengthening access to creative industries programs in regional NSW.

A key outcome of the program is the development of the Dhinawan Sisters, a creative initiative supporting young women to build skills in fashion design, creative entrepreneurship, and the arts industry. Delivered by Outback Arts at their Coonamble headquarters, the program engages women aged 17 to 25 in post-school pathways, helping them explore career opportunities, social enterprise development, and employment in the creative sector.

In 2025 and 2026, Outback Arts also supported a vibrant fashion parade as part of the Baiame’s Ngunnhu Festival in Brewarrina, showcasing the talent and creativity of regional designers.

Featured image by Rainy King Photography.