Sydney production house Dressed by Dashing has partnered with Gudanji artist Ryhia Dank of Nardurna to create a collection of limited-edition mannequins launched during NAIDOC Week 2026.
The pieces are not designed to display clothing. Instead, each mannequin carries artwork rooted in the traditions of the Yugala-Gudanji people, turning a standard retail fixture into a cultural object. The idea is to bring Indigenous storytelling into the kind of everyday commercial spaces including shops, showrooms, retail floors, where most people would never expect to find it..
“With smoke in the air, back home on Gudanji Country — we carve coolamons, make twine, share stories and weave baskets beside a fire. The smoke carries our stories. It holds some of my most cherished memories,” said Nardurna founder and Gudanji artist Ryhia Dank.
At the centre of the collection is an artwork by Dank, inspired by the landscape of Gudanji Country. It is reproduced across four colour variations, each offering a different way into the same story.
To produce the pieces, Dressed by Dashing used techniques more commonly seen in luxury fashion manufacturing, including water transfer printing and precision vinyl application.
The collection is pitched at retailers and brands looking for an alternative to conventional visual merchandising.
