Thriving Small Indigenous-owned Businesses
At Yarn, we are passionate about supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned businesses that are dedicated to achieving positive economic, social and cultural outcomes for their families and communities. Get to know Yarn partner brands Kakadu Tiny Tots, Bush Medijina and Lowanna Skincare. These incredible Indigenous-owned small businesses create beautiful products that celebrate First Nations art, culture and traditions. In this article you will hear about their 2021 achievements and goals for the new year.
Kakadu Tiny Tots
Mums and bubs showing off Kakadu Tiny Tots onesies, tees and new organic wellness products. Courtesy of Kakadu Tiny Tots, 2021.
Kakadu Tiny Tots make gorgeous organic babywear, organic wellness products and natural gifts. They collaborate with Indigenous artists in their local area to create gorgeous designs that represent the Country and animals of Kakadu. Owner and proud Murrumburr woman Kylie-lee (2021) tells us about some of the amazing things Kakadu Tiny Tots has been up to recently:
“The Kakadu team have been incredibly busy building a brand new website called Kakadu Organics which offers organic wellness products for mums and bubs.
We are about to launch our social mission of giving our ‘Welcome to the World’ packs to women with newborn babies in DV housing and also women living in rural and remote Aboriginal communities. We’ve partnered with corporate and Aboriginal controlled health services to provide a culturally safe pack for women and their new babies."
Check out Kakadu Tiny Tots' beautiful products here.
Lowanna
Lowanna’s Green Clay Exfoliating Mask. Courtesy of Lowanna, 2021.
Lowanna is an Indigenous owned skincare brand founded by proud Narungga woman, Sinead. The brand was born in Adelaide, South Australia and embraces the Narungga people's knowledge of the land and sea. Sinead (2021) tells us about what Lowanna has been up to this last year and their plans for 2022:
“Here at Lowanna we’ve had a very relaxing and mindful year. That’s not to say we haven’t been working hard behind the scenes, we certainly have, but we’ve also been taking some time to redefine what Lowanna is and where we want to go.We introduced a new product, which was very exciting. We featured in a newspaper article, on a podcast, on multiple blogs, and also added a few new stockists to the Lowanna family (including Yarn!). It’s been a very collaborative year and it’s made our hearts so full.
Plans for the new year are to continue to evolve and grow, and see where the journey takes us. As always our customers are our number one priority and we’re looking forward to nurturing our relationships and collaborating with wonderful people and businesses just like Yarn!”
Check out Lowanna’s beautiful products here.
Bush Medijina
Dawn Lalara, Clarissa Mamarika and Serena Barra accepting the NT Community Achievement Award - Small Business Award award. Courtesy of Bush Medijina, 2021.
Bush Medijina is a First Nations owned skincare brand that merges traditional Indigenous native botanical knowledge with modern skincare. We hear from Britt Hollingworth (2021), Bush Medjina’s Business Development Manager about some of their amazing achievements for 2021 and plans for the new year:
“With the launch of several new products and a few award wins, Bush Medijina has had another successful year of growth. Not only is our small business thriving but our Community Development team has gone from strength to strength hosting many successful workshops and supporting women from across the Archipelago.
We are looking forward to a fantastic 2022 with hopefully more trips to the mainland. We have been developing some beautiful new products and would also like to introduce some new bush medicines into our range.”
Britt goes onto share a quote from an Elder of their community, Gayangwa Lalara (2021):
“Bush Medijina helps us heal ourselves through healing others, not just local people but people from all around Australia. Together we can improve the well-being and promote the community development of our Warningakalina people.” - Gayangwa Lalara
Check out Bush Medijina’s beautiful products here.
So, as we move into the new year, we wish Kakadu Tiny Tots, Bush Medijina and Lowanna all the best for their future business endeavours! Learn more about all of our wonderful partner brands here.