Since its establishment in 2020, the Piriwa Enterprise Hub has made significant strides in transforming the lives of women in Balgo. By providing a platform for social enterprise exploration and essential small business skill development, Piriwa promotes economic growth while enhancing the wellbeing of its members and deepening their connection to the land and community.
Piriwa’s latest ambition is to expand its product range and create new revenue streams by producing and selling items made from upcycled clothing sourced from the Piriwa Op Shop. Profits generated from these creations will be reinvested into cultural activities to preserve traditional practices and keep language strong.
The idea emerged during Piriwa’s strategic planning sessions in 2023 and is set to be led by the Piriwa leadership team and Enterprise Partnerships WA. Once full funding is secured, they plan to conduct a series of intensive workshops in Balgo, focusing on fashion, design, and creative entrepreneurship for women. These workshops, facilitated by mentors Bianca Long from Jaru Girl, Sarah Landro from Camera Story, and Clare Wood from Enterprise Partnerships WA, aim to engage young women interested in fashion and textiles, offering career pathways into design, photography, and modelling.
Participants will explore fashion as an art form, learn how to market products, and build a social media presence through photography. They will also take part in on-country trips, using photography to document culture, bush plants, and community activities. These trips will teach young women about the importance of connection and protection of country.
A key milestone in this journey will be Piriwa’s participation in the 2025 Kimberley Aboriginal Textile and Fashion Art (KAFTA) program in Broome. The program supports Kimberley-based artists and designers in accessing employment and training opportunities, developing business capacity, and sharing diverse creative cultural expressions of the region. At the event, the women of Piriwa plan to debut a new fashion collection crafted from upcycled clothing, featuring artwork that reflects their unique stories and cultural heritage.
Following KAFTA, and pending full funding, the women intend to broaden their design work to include fabric printing. This expansion aims to create larger market opportunities, boosting their revenue and visibility.
This initiative builds on Piriwa’s previous achievements and aims to access national and international markets, increase sales and showcase Piriwa’s social enterprise model for First Nations women. It has the potential to inspire similar initiatives in other communities, extending Piriwa’s influence beyond its local context.
Importantly, the initiative is closely tied to Piriwa Op Shop’s social enterprise goals, particularly in addressing clothing and textile waste and enabling Piriwa to participate in the circular economy. Over the past year, the Op Shop has received approximately 1,300 kilograms of donated clothing. However, not all items are suitable for sale in a remote setting, prompting the women to explore creative ways to repurpose these materials, reflecting their commitment to environmental stewardship.
Piriwa is also an active participant in the Remote Op Shop Project, which has significantly promoted sustainability in remote areas. The project supplies recycled clothes to remote Indigenous communities across Australia, greatly reducing overheads by removing the need for large-scale infrastructure, transportation, and administration incurred by a traditional op shop model. The project is expanding its impact with the development of a reuse hub in Darwin and exploring ways to convert clothing waste into couches and mattresses for remote communities.
The Piriwa Enterprise Hub’s innovative approach to revenue diversification and sustainability sets a powerful example for communities worldwide. By merging cultural preservation with economic growth and environmental care, Piriwa is securing its future and inspiring others to follow its lead.
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