Geoff Sellman’s artwork licensed for fashion range

March 26, 2018

This year, National NAIDOC Week, from 8 to 15 July, will celebrate the invaluable contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women make to the nation under the theme ‘Because of her, we can!’

Ahead of the event, Queensland fashion label Lifewear Australia has launched a NAIDOC clothing range featuring an artwork designed by Copyright Agency member, Geoff Sellman.

Geoff is an artist practising in Western Sydney with traditional training from his Bunda-Bunda tribal community in Bundaberg, Queensland where he was born in 1962.

His artwork for Lifewear’s NAIDOC range is titled, Her Opal Spirits, 2018, and acknowledges his late Aunty Vi from the Bunda tribe within the Goreng Goreng nation. Geoff says she “spent many years digging for opals in the earth and rocks in sites across Australia and in her lifetime accumulated quite a number in the precious opal collection.”

“I wanted to suggest this story in the colours and textures I’m working with and share a humble appreciation of living simply – because of her, we can.”

The Geoff Sellman apparel collection includes leggings, adult and kids polo shirts, hoodies, a fashion tote bag and a ladies scarf, all featuring the artist’s distinctive boldly patterned artwork.

Copyright Agency’s Visual Arts licensing team worked with Lifewear Australia to develop a copyright licence agreement for the adaption of Geoff’s artwork following licensing best-practice protocols.

Lifewear’s 2018 NAIDOC range also features artworks by artists Glen Mackie, Amanda Conway-Jones and Ailsa Walsh.