By arts editor HELEN MUSA

Two prominent First Nations fashion designers are heading out of Canberra later this week to Darwin to participate in the national showcase Country to Couture, running on August 2 and 3 as part of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation’s 20th anniversary program.

Rechelle Turner, a busy school teacher, and Megan Daley, an equally busy social worker, together form the independent label Corella & Crow. The name came about when Daley spotted a crow flying overhead, while Turner noticed a corella.

The pair met not in Canberra, but as ACT delegates to Purrumpa, the five-day national gathering of First Nations arts and culture held in Adelaide in 2022. Both artists have strong connections to their Wiradyuri ancestry, but stress that they proudly support the Ngunnawal community in which they now live.

They will present their latest collection, Madhan, in two separate Country to Couture showcases, Carried by Our Matriarchs: From Legacy We Rise on August 2 and Imprints and Memory: Seasons of the Land, Waters and Sky on August 3.

For Corella & Crow, it’s an opportunity to move another step up the ladder of high couture, with their new line set to parade along a huge outdoor boardwalk beneath the trees at Charles Darwin University’s new city campus, Danala. The event has expanded after packed-out showcases at the Darwin Convention Centre last year.

It won’t be their first appearance at Country to Couture. Last year, during the event’s 10th anniversary, they presented their debut collection, Nguramban-Dhi (From Country), modelled on the runway. Part of that collection is currently on display in the showcase window at Belconnen Arts Centre.

They have spent much of the Canberra winter preparing their 2026 collection, Madhan, the Wiradyuri word for “tree”.

“There are 15 looks, and every one tells a story about a tree, or a type of tree from this Country,” Turner says. “The whole collection centres on Country and trees. We use lots of natural dyes, natural browns, pinks, greys and blacks.”

This year the designers have also embraced up-cycled materials, incorporating old lace curtains, tablecloths and even a gold-coloured curtain into the collection.

Like their previous work, much of the new line includes one-off evening wear, a niche that has become something of a Corella & Crow speciality.

Balancing the label with full-time careers has made marketing a challenge.

“We started this because we really enjoy it,” Turner says.

The pair have recently received ACT Government grants to support their attendance at Country to Couture and to further develop their practice.

“It’s getting much bigger than we ever imagined,” Turner says. “It takes up quite a bit of our time now.”

After the runway showcases, they’ll stay in Darwin for the National Indigenous Fashion Awards on August 5, looking forward to seeing their work alongside that of established designers shortlisted for the awards, including Lillardia Briggs-Houston, Corin Corcoran and Sarrita King.

“We’re just happy to be in the same space as these incredible creative people. Just being in the same room is a real learning opportunity for us.”

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