The bush dye business set up by women artists from the Aboriginal-owned Anindilyakwa Arts in 2015 is thriving.

Artists use traditional basket-making and plant dye knowledge in new ways to produce clothes.

They have been learning new skills with Darwin artist and designer Anna Reynolds.

She held a series of workshops at Umbakumba and Angurugu art centres, which expanded the women’s textile skills to refashioning and recycling, as well as hand and machine sewing and digital design.

Artist Annabel Amagula says: “When we bush dye, the colours come from the old ways. We use that rusty stuff from the dump to make the patterns. We use leaves too.”

The artists’ bush dye collection made its debut at the 2018 from Country to Couture.

But the Anindilyakwa artists’ spirit of innovation is shining through again with the Yirradarringka-langwa Akarwadiwada Women’s Work collection.

The collection is a showcase for sustainable practices with the repurposing of old work shirts from workers on the magnesium mine.