If you’re not First Nations yourself, you may have found yourself asking if it is okay for you to wear First Nations fashion.

What can you buy? How do First Nations people feel about ally wear?

To help answer this, I spoke with 20 First Nations Knowledge Holders from Tarntanya/Adelaide, Naarm/Melbourne and Warrane/Sydney to hear their perspectives on ally wear, respect and responsibility.

Overall, Knowledge Holders said it’s tricky. Wearing clothes by a First Nations designer or brand as an ally can be a good way to show support if you’re being respectful and genuine. But it can also feel empty or even hurtful if it’s just for show.

For several of the Knowledge Holders I spoke with, seeing non-Indigenous people wear these clothes is positive. It shows solidarity, supports First Nations businesses and celebrates culture.

Brands like Clothing The Gaps were often named as good examples of ally-friendly labels that clearly mark which designs are for everyone and which are mob-only.

As one Knowledge Holder put it:

If a First Nations person has created these forms of fashion and has not declared that it’s exclusive to First Nations people, then I think that it’s fine for allies to wear........

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