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Indigenous designs honouring the paralympic spirit internationally

Culture and Capability
Balarinji and the Sydney Opera House combining to honour Australia’s paralympians and ancient heritage

Aboriginal design company Balarinji worked closely with the Australian Paralympic Committee to produce uniforms which united and inspired Australia’s 2016 Rio Paralympics Team.

When the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) invited Aboriginal business Balarinji to provide design elements for the Rio team’s uniforms, the company felt honoured and privileged.

Chef de Mission of the 2016 Australian Paralympic Team Kate McLoughlin said it was hoped that the textile design would aid in team bonding.

“After consulting a number of Paralympians from the London 2012 Team, the APC decided that including an Indigenous element to the uniform would not only celebrate Australia’s rich culture and heritage, it would give Australia’s athletes a sense of pride as they too become part of Australia’s history,” Kate said.

The design also had the advantage of immediately distinguishing Australian athletes from other nations with similar colours such as host nation Brazil.

With a global profile and best known for coating Qantas aircraft with Indigenous designs, Balarinji approached the job as any other, focusing on best practice methodology and design integrity. Over the 18 months from initial ideas to product delivery, they worked closely with the APC and uniform sponsor 2XU.

Georgina Bill, Director of Client Relationships at Balarinji said the company was delighted that our Paralympians were celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage on the world stage.

“It was wonderful to know that this was a request from the athletes,” Georgina said.

“And we considered it an honour to be involved in such a milestone in sports inclusivity - Paralympians who overcome the odds to excel in their sport, and the first Australian team at any Olympics to feature Indigenous design for their uniforms.”

Balarinji’s design, recently captured on the Sydney Opera House sails, means ‘landmark, presence and country’ and inspires notions of identity and purpose. The connected circles express strength and shared intent while the strings of dots depict dynamic energy.

The whole design reflects the diversity and values that Paralympians embody. It reflects an inclusive Australia.

Find out more

The Commonwealth Government’s Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP) was introduced to leverage the Commonwealth’s annual multi-billion procurement spend. It has increased the demand for Indigenous goods and services, is stimulating Indigenous economic development and is growing the Indigenous business sector.

Supply Nation maintains a free register of Indigenous businesses that connects Indigenous businesses such as Balarinjiwith government departments and government supported organisations such as the Australian Paralympic Committee.