Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour partners with Wiradjuri label Ngali ahead of Australian Fashion Week

Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour has announced an exclusive partnership with First Nations fashion label Ngali, with the luxury hotel set to host an intimate meet and greet with founder and Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco in the lead-up to Australian Fashion Week.

Ngali, founded in 2018 and known for translating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artwork into premium silk clothing, is one of the most prominent First Nations fashion labels in the country and is among the headline acts ahead of Sydney’s biggest week in fashion. The partnership will be marked by a sit-down event at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Atelier by Sofitel, on Wednesday 14 May, the same day as Indigenous Fashion Projects designer Colleen Tighe-Johnson presents her first solo runway at Australian Fashion Week.

The panel for the evening features Ms Francisco of Ngali, Ms Tighe-Johnson of Buluuy Mirrii and a guest from the Indigenous Fashion Projects (IFP) Pathways Program. Guests will be welcomed with sparkling wine, a Welcome to Country and a two-course dining experience, with curated pieces from Ngali and other First Nations creatives on display through the night.

The event will spotlight the IFP Pathways Program, an initiative dedicated to supporting the next generation of Indigenous talent in the Australian fashion industry through mentorship and meaningful representation in mainstream commercial channels.

Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour general manager Sam Panetta said the partnership reflected the hotel’s broader cultural commitments.

“We are honoured to partner with Denni, Colleen and Indigenous Fashion Projects to create a platform that celebrates both innovation and cultural heritage” Mr Panetta said.

“At Sofitel, we are passionate about curating experiences that connect our guests with art, design and community, and this event reflects that vision.”

Ngali has been one of the breakout commercial First Nations labels of recent fashion seasons, with founder Ms Francisco regularly cited for her storytelling through design and her work to elevate Indigenous voices inside premium and luxury fashion spaces. The label collaborates with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to translate their artworks into garments that move from runway to wardrobe, with proceeds returning to artists.

Buluuy Mirrii, founded by Gomeroi designer Colleen Tighe-Johnson, will also be a key feature of this year’s Australian Fashion Week. Ms Tighe-Johnson’s first solo runway on 14 May represents one of the year’s most significant moments for an emerging First Nations label entering the AFW main schedule, and underscores how far Indigenous Fashion Projects has progressed since launching its accelerator-style program for First Nations designers.

The Sofitel-Ngali event will conclude with curated goodie bags featuring contributions from Ngali, Kevin Murphy and other partners. Tickets are available at $125 per person.

The collaboration adds to a growing schedule of First Nations-led runways and partnerships at Australian Fashion Week 2026, which kicks off on 11 May and brings First Nations design to the centre of the country’s biggest commercial fashion stage. Indigenous Fashion Projects, which delivers the program of work driving much of that participation, has long argued that genuine, structural change in the industry depends on partnerships like the Sofitel-Ngali model: where mainstream institutions create space for Indigenous designers on Indigenous designers’ own terms.

For Ngali and Ms Francisco, this latest partnership extends a body of work building toward a clear thesis – that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art on silk, at scale, can hold its own in any luxury fashion conversation in the world.