Wear a Tee for NAIDOC Week!

Koskela launches not-for-profit t-shirt collab with 19 Indigenous Art Centres.

To coincide with NAIDOC Week 2018, Koskela has launched a 19-piece t-shirt collection, Nganana / Koskela: Art Centre T-shirt Collab. Nganana is a Pitjantjatjara word that means ‘all of us’, and 19 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Art Centres from all over Australia have contributed a design.

These limited edition t-shirts have been digitally printed on a 140GSM Certified 100% organic cotton tee and are available to order online for $70. All profits will go directly back to the Art Centres responsible for each design.

Koskela has a longstanding tradition of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait artists to produce acclaimed contemporary designs. A collaboration of this scale has not been attempted before and is a testament to Koskela’s role as a respected advocate for Australian Indigenous culture.

The T-shirts are a great way for people to own their own piece of Aboriginal art who might not necessarily be able to afford a big artwork, and to show their appreciation for the Art Centres they really like.

— Sasha Titchkosky.

The idea was born during the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF), where most Art Centres have started designing and selling t-shirts, and their creation has proven a great way to engage younger artists. There are now over 70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Art Centres throughout Australia with an extraordinary collective of talent. As part of Koskela’s mission to celebrate Australian Indigenous culture and promote it to new audiences we invited all the Art Centres to submit designs for a limited edition t-shirt collection to be exhibited in Sydney.

Fans are also able to show their support by voting in the People’s Choice competition. Pick your favourite t-shirt and be in the running to win it! The t-shirt with the most votes will be announced after the exhibition and will become part of Koskela’s retail staff uniform.

Much of the work involved in bringing this project together has been funded by Koskela’s social enterprise commitment. We put aside 10 percent of revenue (roughly 1 percent of profits) towards these initiatives with Australian Indigenous artists

After nine years of working with ATSI Art Centres, we are incredibly proud to launch Nganana. Our aim with this not-for-profit project is to tell the important story behind the art centres – that it’s one of strong culture, great governance and excellence in design. We want to do as much as we can to support the artists' practice, highlight their incredible talents, and celebrate Australian Indigenous culture.

— Sasha Titchkosky, Koskela co-director and founder.