It was only four years ago that Juanita Page launched her menswear label Joseph and James. As she watched her models rehearse backstage on Tuesday, the proud Gooreng Gooreng and South-Sea Islander woman felt the pressure mounting as the countdown began for one of her biggest achievements yet. She was moments away from debuting a solo runway show at Australian Fashion Week. "I'm feeling a little nervous, but it's excited nerves," the 33-year-old said. "It's a huge milestone for us as a brand, and to be able to have your name on something like this feels very significant." While this year's Fashion Week celebrated 60 years of Australian fashion house Carla Zampatti, it didn't take the limelight away from emerging designers like Juanita. As she organised the clothing racks she talked about the inspiration behind her latest collection 'Gathering'. "Whenever I'm designing a range, I often think back on what's important to me and my family," she said. "My mum actually named the collection when I was talking to her about it, because I didn't know what to name it, she was like 'it's gathering, that's what it is, that's what we do, bub'. "So it was really nice to incorporate her, even though behind the scenes." Juanita is one of the few female designers behind a menswear label and she's on a mission to redefine the industry. "When I studied for the first time back in 2012, I noticed that everyone was doing womenswear, and it made me think who was designing for anybody else?" she said. "The uniqueness that I can bring to menswear is the freedom that we have as females, as women who grow up going to a friend's place, having a play with other people's clothes, shoes and finding our personal style." Lights, camera, action! Backstage, the 25 models booked to run in the Joseph and James show were prepping for their moment in the limelight. Facemasks. Light touches of makeup. Lots of water and snacks. Three of them were Indigenous men. Several hours ticked by and the men were all dressed and ready to go. The crowd were finding their allocated seats. The lights dimmed and the chatter in the room fell silent as a cultural custom took place, with the following words that set the tone of the show for buyers, influencers and media alike. "Welcome to the traditional lands of the Gadigal clan on whose land we gather on this evening … we welcome you as family and we extend our hand in friendship and embrace you." The room was pristine white and had a different take on the standard layout of a runway fashion show. The models walked in a snake-like pattern around the room. It wasn't by accident, rather a subtle invitation to the crowd to experience the collection just like the models adorning the clothes. "The way we've set out the chairs, everyone's got a front row seat and it's all about sitting across the table from someone, having a nice meal and cherishing those moments," Juanita explained. The 25 outfits showcased by 25 models are rethinking the traditional approach to menswear through a signature look — the elegance of a sartorial outfit blended with the edge of streetwear. "I think we don't readily allow men that freedom and that's what we want to bring with Joseph and James, is allow men to have a play … because clothing is the closest thing that we have to create a sense of who we are outwardly," Juanita said. 'If you're Indigenous, you're beautiful' Swapping the running track for the fashion runway, 21-year-old Calab Law made his catwalk debut as part of the Joseph and James show. "I was super excited but I was a little nervous going into it, but it's nothing I haven't done before," the Wakka Wakka man said. "I've run in front of dozens of people, so it was something pretty similar to that." Calab represented Australia in the 2024 Paris Olympics, competing in the 200m and the men's 4x100 m relay. This week, Calab wanted to challenge himself in a different way. "When you do the same thing for 10 years, you got to mix it up a bit," he said. "I thought this (running) can get boring, so (my brother) was like, 'go do modelling, it's fun and you get to do stuff like this'." Standing backstage after the show — along with fellow models who also walked the runway with straight posture and exaggerated strides — Calab and the others were buzzing from the high of what they had just done. But Calab couldn’t help but reflect on what it means to be a First Nations person in the industry. “If you're Indigenous, you're beautiful, everyone should be models,” he said. "I think there should be representation everywhere, just like sport, just like modelling, so I think it's amazing.” Nineteen-year-old Shamaiah Sullivan is no stranger to the runway. It's her third-year walking at Australian Fashion Week. Shamaiah fell into modelling about six years ago after seeing the lack of representation in the entertainment industry. "I was watching Home and Away with mum and I felt as though there were no Indigenous people on the show," she said. "From that, I wanted to get into acting, then I was like, 'hold on, I don't feel like there is enough people that look like me in the fashion industry', and it just went from there." With more Indigenous representation in the fashion industry, Shamaiah believes the world could learn more about First Nations people. "Fashion is so objective, so everyone has an input, everyone has an opinion, everyone sees fashion," she said. "That would be a good way to let the world know who we are and what we represent, what we do and our stories and where we come from." Ngali: Conversation starter on the world stage Backstage at Ngali's headquarters, there is a tight schedule to get hair and makeup done. The atmosphere is buzzing with hair-dryers and cosmetics galore — the crew have been there since 8am, preparing models for their big show. Over in the dressing room, volunteers are hovering around, organising the racks for 25 of Ngali's models and steaming their clothes. When it comes time for the models to get changed, the volunteers fit them before the head stylist gives the final tick of approval and they walk out onto the runway. The earthy tone of the Australian landscape is hard to miss. It's reflected in the model's makeup and Ngali's latest collection 'The Yawa: Journey Collection'. Proud Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco said she drew inspiration from the traditional country of different First Nations people across Australia and their respective cultures. "Culture plays a really powerful component of what it is that we do, it's why Ngali was started," she said. "The collection itself that is showing on the runway today is the bringing together of the artist's artwork, the translation of those artworks. "But [it's] also the incredible colours that get offered up on our gumtrees all around Australia, so it brings culture and country together." Ngali has returned to Fashion Week after gracing the runway on the world stage at Milan and Jakarta Fashion Weeks in 2022. "That was pretty awesome, it started a conversation with people from all different places around the globe about 'who are Australia's First Peoples'," she reflected. "Fashion is a great medium for sharing those stories." Just after midday, the runway show began, led by First Nations model and actress, Charlee Fraser. Watching in awe, the audience filled the room and spilled out to the corners. As the show came to a close, the grand finale held a spotlight on the 10 First Nations models featured in the show. For Ngali, this was about visibility and celebrating the richness and beauty of First Nations culture — from the artwork used in the collection, to the sounds of the didgeridoo playing in the background, to the models taking centre stage.