The five most frequently asked questions about Mainie
Everything you wanted to know about Mainie Australia
1. What does the name Mainie mean?
Mainie is the childhood nickname of our co-founder, Charmaine Saunders. When Charmaine was developing her initial plans for the Mainie business model, she read an article about Australian fashion designer, Camilla Franks, who is known and loved around the world for her eponymous silk kaftan and resort-wear label. Camilla’s advice to aspiring designers was, ‘Put your own name on the door’. Charmaine heeded this advice, and the brand name Mainie was born.
2. Where are Mainie products made?
The Mainie fashion collection is designed entirely in Australia and made from the world’s most luxurious textiles. Silk is not produced in Australia, so Mainie’s silks are sourced from the historic Imperial silk capitals of China, where silk-making originated around 2700 BC.
The new Mainie wool scarf collection, however, has genuine Australian origins and is made from the world’s finest fleeces, Woolmark-certified Australian Merino wool.
The provenance of the textiles used to make Mainie fashion products is just as important to us as the ethical sourcing of our authentic Aboriginal artworks. Mainie products are sourced from reputable companies that have undergone rigorous site inspections to ensure their production processes, workplace conditions and environmental management practices are compliant with international standards and regulations. Our manufacturers operate modern facilities with state-of-the-art digital printing capabilities. They are longstanding suppliers of high-quality textile goods to luxury fashion houses in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States.
3. Is Mainie Aboriginal owned?
Mainie is a Supply Nation verified Aboriginal owned and managed business. Mainie co-founder and majority owner, Charmaine Saunders is a Gunggari Aboriginal woman with family links to the Cherbourg and Woorabinda Aboriginal communities. The Gunggari people are the traditional owners of the country in the Maranoa River region of south-west Queensland. Charmaine was born on her ancestral homelands in the township of Mitchell, which is situated on the banks on the Maranoa River.
More information about Supply Nation can be found at https://supplynation.org.au
4. How does Mainie support Aboriginal artists?
Mainie has a mission to support sustainable opportunities for Aboriginal women to achieve financial security. All the Aboriginal Dreamtime designs featured in the Mainie fashion collection have been ethically purchased from Aboriginal-owned arts centres and are licensed in accordance with the Indigenous Art Code. Under the terms of our Mainie licensing agreements, the Aboriginal artist retains the copyright to their original artwork and receives royalties from all sales.
Mainie is committed to helping Aboriginal women artists from some of the most isolated and disadvantaged communities in Central Australia to earn an independent income from their own work and preserve their traditional cultural heritage for future generations.
More information about the Indigenous Art Code can be found at https://indigenousartcode.org
5. Why does Mainie cost so much?
The simplest answer to this question is that Mainie is worth it. At Mainie, we strive to be the best. Our company is built on a solid foundation of impeccable business ethics and an unfailing commitment to creating beautiful and consistently high-quality products. All our exquisite wearable art pieces have been lovingly handmade from the finest materials by highly skilled, artisan textile workers. Every Mainie item is designed to become a timeless heirloom piece that will be cherished forever. The most important of Mainie’s intrinsic values is our careful representation of the ancient Dreamtime stories that celebrate the world’s oldest living culture.
We stand proudly behind our credentials as a socially responsible fashion brand. Each Mainie piece we sell gives back to the Aboriginal woman artist who created the original design, to elevate and empower her, her family and her community.
More information about Mainie’s art ethics can be found at https://mainie.com/pages/artists