OUR STORY

Who We Are

BW Tribal started from an idea to create a successful Indigenous clothing brand that is 100% owned and managed by First Nations people. Our ongoing passion and vision is to fuse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art with modern textile garments that can be shared and celebrated with all Australians. With Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and South Sea Islander heritage woven into the fabric of our organisation, we are proud to consider ourselves Australian in the deepest sense of the word.

Our headquarters, located in sunny Cleveland, Brisbane (Quandamooka Country), is the base from which we offer all of our authentic designs filled with the traditions and the knowledge of the Indigenous people. The designs we offer are created by both BW Tribal ourselves and by our partnering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

Here at our business we employ a diverse team from different backgrounds and expertise, united by the common desire to be part of an inspiring and successful business which celebrates and supports Indigenous autonomy. At our company meetings you can see faces from every background, led by Warwick (Jiddabul) and Maxine (Erub Island), the Indigenous entrepreneurs who hold our operations together.

As BW Tribal has continually grown, so too has the number of people of all backgrounds who we work with in order to fulfil our goal and see our vision come to life. Aside from the core personnel who keep our business running, we are also in close contact with a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. We could not hope to do what we do without their passion and their talent as upholders of Indigenous art and culture.

What We Do

Indigenous art is such a valuable means of sharing the vision and the passion of the first nations, allowing anyone from any background to immediately see and feel the magic of the dreamtime as well as the beauty of this ancient land and its traditional custodians. Here at BW Tribal, we blend tradition with modernity and bridge gaps between cultures, offering authentic artwork from real Indigenous artists in the form of stylish and practical modern apparel to be worn by all Australians, sharing the connection through clothing.

As part of our commitment to our Indigenous people, every sale from our store provides fair royalties to the original artists who provide the designs. This not only benefits the artists themselves but also their families and the communities they live in by providing another income source which flows back through their local community. This is a social impact that BW Tribal provides to our artists nationwide.

We aim to be role models and community leaders in this regard, believing whole-heartedly in the values of respect, fairness and integrity. At BW Tribal we believe that nothing is more important than giving the original custodians of this land the autonomy which they deserve. The path towards a brighter, better future for all people in this country begins by embracing these values.

BW Tribal also supports worthy charities that are doing terrific work in the community such as the Earbus Foundation and The Indigenous Literacy Foundation. We are constantly scanning the horizon to find talented and dedicated individuals, charities and partnering businesses who can join us on our journey. More than simply a clothing brand, we are a platform through which indigenous people at every level can find a voice and feel empowered.

Our Vision

Here at BW Tribal, our doors are open to everybody, inviting people from every background to experience the profound and inspiring visions of the First Nations' people through the medium of clothing. When you wear our products, you are wearing tens of thousands of years of ancient culture with deep roots into sacred land. Sacred though this land and culture might be, we wish to see it embraced by every person.

The way we see it, the more exposure Indigenous artwork and culture gets, the better. Why should the original culture and traditions of this country be marginalised? With more exposure, with Indigenous culture and artworks entering the mainstream of society, we hope to also see an increase in the number of people who feel confident to participate in owning and celebrating our apparel in the modern Australian climate.

Aboriginality has been the norm in these lands for tens of thousands of years, and we hope through the success and the influence of companies like our own that no person feels marginalised or unworthy to participate in the unification of Australia’s ancient culture and Australia’s modern culture. We endeavour to witness a future in which every individual stands proud in Australia’s shared culture.