"My grandmother was a seamstress and a real community person in Moree," said Colleen, a Gomeroi woman. "She was very stylish; everything matched - from her bag down to her shoes and jewellery. She nursed in the segregated section of the Moree District Hospital - I think she knew more than many of the doctors - and she taught ballroom dancing at night. My designing is a gift from her; it is my ancestors who have created this path for me."
Without any formal training, 58-year-old Colleen has been designing all her life. "I guess you could say I was born to it; I used to buy clothes from second-hand shops and tailor them for myself," she said. "I have always known what I wanted to do, but it's been a struggle. My family lived in a railway tent, then a tin hut with no water, sewerage or electricity. It wasn't until 1970 that we moved into a Housing Commission house, which was a mansion from where we'd come from."
Now Colleen's glorious Buluuy Mirrii ("Black Star" in the Gomeroi language) designs, featuring fabrics printed with Aboriginal stories and motifs created by Gomeroi artists, have graced runways in Melbourne, New Zealand and Canada. They have also featured in fashion week shows in New York and Paris, and at the Cannes Film Festival.
"This is much bigger than me; it's about my cultural heritage," said Colleen. "I've had to scrimp and save but I've been given a job to do. It's about inspiring and creating pathways for the next generation of Aboriginal people, sharing knowledge and education non-Aboriginal audiences about our heritage."
Mentoring young people in healthy choices, deportment and career skills has been an important element of Colleen's business model. Her graphic designer/photographer is a young man from the Gomeroi Nation, now studying photography at university, and she features Aboriginal models in all her shows.
Since joining the University of New England's SMART Region Incubator (SRI), determined to take Buluuy Mirrii to the next level, Colleen has been accepted into the Fashion 360 Accelerator in Brisbane. It provides fashion business mentoring and technical guidance during an intense 24-week program.
"I am working with high-end couture designers who have been in the industry for decades, who are guiding me to create a sustainable business," Colleen said. "Hopefully, the next stage will be to move to commercialisation, so I can establish a fashion house on Gomeroi land employing Indigenous staff.
I guess my story is about never giving up and showing that you can come from nothing. I'm very proud to be telling stories through my garments, and talking about the oldest human culture in the world."
Colleen is actively seeking sponsors and investors, so if you would like to support her career, contact her on buluuymirrii@hotmail.com.
View her beautiful designs on Instagram @buluuy_mirrii
The University of New England SMART Region Incubator (SRI) brings together academic business research, business mentors, corporate and community partners to help start-ups get off the ground and grow.
