DulcieDot Aboriginal kids clothing brand is Here!

Good news: DulcieDot Aboriginal kids clothing first collection will be unveiled in the next few weeks. We prepared for this for quite some time, and we can’t wait to share them with you. We want this launch to be a meaningful one, and we can only achieve it when our customers understand the purpose of our brand. So, let’s yarn DulcieDot’s story, ethos, our collaborators and our makers to give you a deep understanding of our who we are.

Print: Gweeni by Daphne de Jersey  HeroShot Photography 

Our Story

DulcieDot creates ethically made organic kids clothing, partnering with Aboriginal Artists with key garments are consciously designed to grow with your child. We aim to clothe and educate the next generation with Aboriginal stories. Also, we want to continue our culture and connection with First Nations and Non-First Nations kids. 

DulcieDot was born out of a desire to teach my (Founder: Tammy) children about the incredible women in our family. My grandmother Dulcie and her twin sister Dot were Bundjalung girls who were among the many First Nations stolen children. Their optimism, perseverance and resilience has been a great source of strength for our family. Because of this, I wanted create a space where Aboriginal artists could proudly share and celebrate their stories of Country through wearable art. 

Print: Bunbudgee by Noelene Hills  HeroShot Photography

DulcieDot was also born out of dissatisfaction with the growing quantity of unethical one-time-use children's clothes on the market. Because kids grow so quickly, I wanted to design quality ethically made garments with that extra bit of growth and give in them. As a result, our key pieces are consciously designed to grow a little with your child to ensure they get that extra length of wear, so you can buy less, choose well, and make it last.

DulcieDot's limited edition designs are designed with sustainability and slow fashion in mind. We  limit our negative environmental impact by creating garments responsibly under FairTrade conditions using certified organic and natural biodegradable fibres. 

Our Ethos

We are driven to create positive social impact that promotes economic inclusion while maintaining a connection to culture, Country, and language. Your purchase directly supports licensing payments for the Artists we partner with. It also helps us develop economic opportunities for First Nations, refugee and new migrant photographers, artists, models, and makers across Australia in the art, fashion, and photography industries.

Our social purpose is to build a platform that empowers First Nations artists to proudly share and celebrate culture and their incredible artistry by building confidence, capability and enterprises within the art, fashion and photography industries.  

We are a slow fashion label that produces small run limited edition items. Slow and small guarantees that we keep focused on decreasing textile waste and only produce what is needed. This not only allows us to sell out quickly, but it also allows us to support our manufacturers' welfare without putting them under undue stress, as well as pay more attention to detail, which helps to reduce garment waste.

Our clothing is currently manufactured by hand in Sydney, Australia, and Agra, India. We're working hard to become an entirely Australian-made brand.

All Artist collaborations copyright, licensing processes and royalty payments are managed with the Copyright Agency in accordance with the Indigenous Arts Code. DulcieDot is a Member of the Indigenous Art Code. 

Learn more about our ethos in the ethos page of our website.

Our Collaborators

Our first collection features three Aboriginal artists: Noelene Hills, Agnes Kohler, and Daphne de Jersey.

Noelene Hills is a Lardil woman born at Baralkia and living at Gununa, Mornington Island. She started painting to join the rest of her family at Mirndiyan Gununa. Noelene Hills’ artwork is entitled “Bunbudgee” It is about the white bush dove. Bunbudgee means white bush dove in Lardil. It is Noelene’s totem from her mother's father.

Agnes Kohler (nee Goongarra) is a Kaidildt woman, born and living on Gununa, Mornington Island, and her Country is Dukawalne on Bentinck Island. Her artwork featuring on our garments is entitled “Mud Shells” which is about her homeland, Dulkawalne on Bentinck Island.

Daphne de Jersey is an artist, mother and passionate community health practitioner from Mapoon in the far northern QLD. She draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including her own life experiences and events, as well as her knowledge of bush food, which she learned from her mother and incorporates into her work. Daphne’s artwork featured on DulcieDot garments is entitled “Gweeni”. Gweeni is the seed bud of the freshwater lily, which can be found in the far northern Australian swamps.

Our Makers

Photo by Levon Baird @ The Social Outfit

We are proud to partner with The Social Outfit in Sydney, Australia for part of our manufacturing. The Social Outfit is a social company and nonprofit that provides work and training in clothes production, retail, design, and marketing to persons from refugee and new migrant backgrounds, with a special focus on female humanitarian migrants. As well as producing and marketing ethical and sustainable high-quality products that benefit these communities financially.

Our Indian manufacturers follow FairTrade guidelines and are SA8000 certified. The SA8000 certification is the world's most widely recognised social certification, ensuring that the workplace is run ethically and that all employees are treated fairly. We'll keep working to ensure FairTrade and a strong focus on social responsibility. The factory where our products are made is GOTS certified.

We are always learning and evolving here at DulcieDot and will continue to better our practices and processes especially involving supporting First Nations Women, slow fashion and our environmental impact.

Join us on our journey and please WEAR, CARE and SHARE your DulcieDots with siblings, cousins, family and friends to ensure each garment's life cycle and our stories live on!

Tammy 

DulcieDot