NEW FROM MAINIE AUSTRALIA - LUXURIOUS, AUTHENTIC, UNIQUE FASHION
In 2015, our uniquely Australian fashion label, Mainie, launched its maiden collection of pure silk scarves, wraps and tops printed with authentic Aboriginal art designs.
Fast forward five years and Mainie’s exquisite melding of luxurious textiles and the world’s oldest art is now much loved and cherished by stylish people around the world.
The latest Mainie Australian Merino wool scarf collection is a testament to our commitment to creating a sustainable designer fashion label that embraces impeccable business ethics and social responsibility principles.
Mainie is proud to present the first six stunning designs in our new wool scarf collection. Each design was created by a Warlpiri Aboriginal woman artist and depicts an ancient Dreaming story, that has been passed down to her through many generations of her ancestors over tens of thousands of years.
From left: Rock Pools, Red Earth, Night Ceremony
From left: Desert Journey, Desert Tracks, Red Bark Trees
The original artworks for each design were ethically acquired from the Warlukurlangu Art Centre, a long-established stronghold for the preservation of the traditional culture and language of the Warlpiri Aboriginal people, whose homelands extend across the vast Tanami Desert in Central Australia.
Water Dreaming Sacred Site on the Warlpiri Homelands in the Tanami Desert, Northern Territory , Australia
Due to the isolation of their tribal lands, the Warlpiri were among some of the last Aboriginal people in Australia to make contact with Europeans. To this day, the Warlpiri people continue to live on their ancestral homelands and maintain a strong physical and spiritual connection to their ancient rites and ceremonies.
Mainie is committed to supporting Aboriginal women from some of Australia’s most isolated and remote Outback regions to earn an independent income from their own work. All art designs in our fashion collection are purchased and licensed in accordance with the Indigenous Art Code. Under the terms of our licensing agreements, the Aboriginal artists retain the copyright to their original artworks and receive royalties from all sales.
Warlpiri Aboriginal Women Artists: Clockwise from top left – Joy Nangala Brown, Alicka Napanangka Brown, Geraldine Napangardi Granites, Nicole Napaljarri Stevens, Valma Nakamarra White, Mary Napangardi Gallagher
Each scarf in our new wool collection is destined to become a timeless and meaningful heirloom. We have selected only the softest and most sensuous, Woolmark certified, Australian Merino wool to create our collection, with every piece lovingly hand finished by skilful artisan textile workers.
At Mainie, we believe that the story of Australia’s Merino wool industry is a fitting bookend against the time honoured history of Aboriginal Australia, an enduring cultural heritage that spans back over the millennia to the dawn of humanity.
Merino wool has been produced in Australia since the earliest days of white settlement and was a major contributor to our national wealth and prosperity. The importance of Australia’s Merino wool industry was often conveyed in the expression, “Australia rode on the sheep's back.”
The Australian wool industry boosted the economic development of regional towns and was the inspiration behind iconic works of art and poetry, such as Tom Roberts' seminal painting, “Shearing the Rams” and Banjo Patterson’s beloved ballad, “Waltzing Matilda”.
The birth of the Australian labour movement is linked to a shearers’ strike in 1891 in the Barcaldine district of Western Queensland. Barcaldine became the site of the 1892 reading of the Labour Party manifesto that eventually led to the formation of the Australian Labor Party in 1901.
A Mainie pure wool scarf is so much more than just a beautiful fashion piece. It is a tangible celebration of our shared Australian story and a tribute to the character of our people, our 60,000-year-old unbroken Aboriginal culture and our unique national identity.
Every Mainie is perfectly presented in a handmade gift box with information about the provenance of the original artwork and the Aboriginal artist’s story.
The Australian Merino wool scarf collection is available at Mainie online at https://mainie.com/collections/wool-scarves
