“A Timely and Important Step”: Magpie Goose Transitions to First Nations Ownership
- Words by Peppermint
In what sets an important precedent for the Australian fashion landscape, beloved social enterprise clothing label Magpie Goose is now the first non-Indigenous company to transition to First Nations ownership.
The transition was announced earlier in the week with Brisbane-based Amanda Hayman and Troy Casey of Blaklash Creative, Open House Collective and Aboriginal Art Co taking over as owner-directors from co-founders Laura Egan and Maggie McGowan.
“Magpie Goose is a socially conscious brand that we believe in,” Amanda and Troy say. “It provides Aboriginal artists with ongoing economic opportunities, and connects the broader community with our people, our culture, and our stories. We commend Maggie and Laura for having the courage to be the first non-Indigenous company to transition to Indigenous ownership. This is a momentous occasion, a timely and important step for industry to affirm the capabilities of black businesses, particularly those that involve Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP).”
IMAGE: MODELS FROM KALUMBURU WEARING PIECES FROM MAGPIE GOOSE’S FIRST COLLECTION. PHOTO BY KALUMBURU PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTIVE.
IMAGES: OBBY BEDFORD WEARING MAGPIE GOOSE.
Amanda and Troy’s first step as owner-directors has been to appoint three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, announcing Christopher Bassi as general manager, and Perry Mooney and Elisa Carmichael in sales and customer service roles. The brand will continue to operate as a social enterprise, with profits reinvested into the business to support the achievement of its mission.
To celebrate the exciting news, we caught up with Amanda to learn more about what the transition means both for the brand and the industry more broadly.
How did this come about? What was the catalyst for the transition?
Maggie and Laura have always strived to create as much impact as they can with Magpie Goose. It was time for the business to grow and they wanted the right people on board to lead the next phase so that the impact the business creates could be amplified. They were familiar with our work (with Blaklash Creative), loved our entrepreneurial approach and our passion for showcasing Aboriginal art and culture. They have recently welcomed a new baby girl into their lives so it was the perfect time for them to take a step back and to usher in new leadership.
Will Maggie and Laura still be involved? If so, how?
We would be crazy to think that we could instantaneously take on the business without any input from the founders! Maggie and Laura will be in essential roles ensuring continuity and important mentoring and training for new Indigenous staff members.
We are working with them to understand sales, communications, marketing, design and collection planning, production, community engagement, finance and budgets. We’ve brought a very clever team together, particularly with our new General Manager Christopher Bassi onboard, and we can’t wait to get into some future and strategic planning and business development in the coming months.
IMAGE: MODELS FROM KALUMBURU WEARING DOMINICA’S LANKY DESIGN. PHOTO BY KALUMBURU PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTIVE.
IMAGE: MODELS FROM KALUMBURU WEARING ROSA’S MACASSAN TRADING DESIGN. PHOTO BY KALUMBURU PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTIVE.
Is this something you think other businesses should consider? And in what circumstances?
We are hoping that businesses that have a mission to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will take time to reflect on their business operations and structures, and assess whether their business model and leadership situation sits comfortably with them, asking themselves, “Is there a way we can create more impact?”
We would love to see more companies transition to Aboriginal ownership. There are also a lot of creative ways to support First Nations communities so we encourage others to start courageous conversations and see how you could make a genuine social impact.
Where to next for Magpie Goose? What exciting things do you have planned for the brand?
We are excited to move Magpie Goose headquarters to Brisbane and we will host a very fun pop-up towards the end of the month, so keep an eye out! We can’t wait to connect with communities that have designs in the pipeline and of course creating new capsules is something that is very appealing to us as art curators. Troy and I are also looking at ways to support the broader First Nations fashion industry and reinvest in our community.
top image CHRIS BASSI, ELISA CARMICHAEL, TROY CASEY, AMANDA HAYMAN (WITH BABY CHARLIE), LAURA EGAN, MAGGIE MCGOWAN (WITH BABY MABEL QUINCY), PERRY MOONEY. PHOTO BY RHETT HAMMERTON
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TOGETHER WE STITCH RETURNS! 🪡✨
Ditch the dishes. Clear your cutting table. Pop the kettle on. Because Together We Stitch is back from 15 to 22 March for seven joy-filled days of sewing, learning and reveling in the joy of shared community, no matter where you are in the world!
Hosted by Megan from @SewAndTell.Co, this global online sewing event brings thousands of makers together for a week of practical know-how, confidence boosts and those “why didn’t I know this sooner?!” moments.
This year’s line-up is packed with masterclasses and practical inspiration, like:
🪡 Simple knit finishing tricks to make your garments look store-bought by @SewAndTell.Co’s Megan Linley
🪡 Troubleshooting your sewing machine by Jenni Miller from @LetsGetSewingNow
🪡 Hands-on pattern adjustments for sway back from @GinaReneeDesigns
🪡 An interview with Brandon Hayden from @HappilyDressed about building a garment around the fabric you love
🪡 Iron Care 101 by @MicheleMuska
🪡 Kate Boyle from @MindMovementHealth shares posture tips and exercises to help prevent sewing aches and pains
🪡 An easy jeans-to-skirt upcycle project from @LaCreativeMama’s Victoria Martinez Azaro
🪡 DIY custom fabrics and creative craft-room upgrades by Stephanie Young from @So_Stephanie_Says
🪡 Plus choosing prints with intention, making your dream wardrobe a reality, and meeting the creator of Project & Cut, Clinton Blackmore to talk all things PDF pattern future
Together We Stitch is all about expert-led sessions, creative demos, practical tips you can take straight to your sewing table, and a community that celebrates every win along the way. Join live or catch the replays when it suits you.
Head to togetherwestitch.com or hit the link in bio to save your seat. 🪡
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Coffee begins long before your morning cuppa! ☕️
2026 has been declared the International Year of the Woman Farmer, led by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the @UnitedNations. It’s a global spotlight with a practical purpose: to recognise women’s indispensable roles across agrifood systems, and to push for the changes that still haven’t arrived evenly, like equal access to land, finance, training, technology and decision-making.
Into that bigger picture steps Elizabeth Duna, a coffee farmer from Papua New Guinea and the chairwoman of the Keto-Tapasi Progress Association. Elizabeth is also the only female chairperson across the @FairtradeANZ cooperative network in the Pacific, overseeing farmers across the association and helping ensure Fairtrade standards are met.
We had the privilege of chatting to Elizabeth (just in time for International Woman’s Day this Sunday, too!) about what’s been growing and changing within her cooperative, what ‘fair trade’ means to her, and the hopes that manifest in a ‘simple’ bag of coffee beans.
Link in bio ☕️
#FairTrade #FairTradeCoffee #InternationalWomensDay
DIFFICULT ✊🏻✊🏽✊🏿
The collab we needed for International Women`s Day… and every day!
From @DangerousFemales:
"Hands up if you’ve ever been called difficult behind your back, to your face, or by an Australian Prime Minister during a Q&A?
DIFFICULT by Grace Tame, in her own handwriting is… one word: ICONIC!
100% of profits from our tees are donated, 100% of the time. Funds from this @TamePunk tee will go to @BerylWomen_inc, a First Nations led women’s refuge in the ACT.
Kinda ironic, don’t ya think?
Supporting an org in the parliament state with words from a politician for Australia’s longest running and underfunded women’s refuge.
Thank you @TamePunk for being difficult." 🫶🙌
Link in bio to get behind this tee!
#InternationalWomensDay #DangerousFemales #GraceTame #Difficult
NEW PATTERN ALERT 🎉
She’s giving comfort, she’s giving style, she’s giving palate-cleansing sewing. There’s nothing quite like an easy breezy dress that’s not only a dream to wear but a delight to sew, and the NEW Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress delivers!
Cute, classic and cool with a touch of retro: the Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with sleek lines and elegant curves. Bust darts are in play for shaping and spacious pockets to hold all your treasures. Top-stitching detail around the neck and armholes invites creative contrast threads and the keyhole loop closure at the back neck begs for a feature button (or a tie closure!).
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection. Karmme also stocks darling tassels so we popped a hot pink one on as a closure!
The love child of Imby Langenbach, Karmme Apparel (fittingly pronounced ‘calm’), is a haven of boho apparel sewing patterns alongside complementary fabrics steeped in tradition with modern iterations from Jaipur, India. Hand block-printed and digitally printed soft cottons produced by Indian artisans showcase rich colours and designs from Imby’s travels, perfect for showing off me-made masterpieces.
Our dresses were superbly stitched by our sewing manager @Laura_The_Maker, and modelled magnificently by Shannon @Pins_And_Tonic and Serah @SerahSews. And that perfect pink wall was courtesy of the good folk at @ShareTheDignityAustralia, an organisation that aims to bring dignity to women, girls and those who menstruate who are experiencing homelessness, domestic violence and period poverty.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Patternmaker: @GarmentaApparel
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
Connection 🫶🏻
Such great ideas from @GrowWithColby:
“A common theme I noticed in 2025:
Everyone is craving more connection.
Use these friend nights to make it happen in 2026.
Send this to the people you want to do these with.”
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No bull - these pants are the cat`s (or cow`s) pyjamas...
Jenny from @RhubarbSundays:
And they are done! My @PeppermintMagazine #PeppermintFernPleatedPants made using a gorgeous fabric from @IndyBindyFabrics! I absolutely love this fabric! It’s soft and drapes beautifully. And the best thing about it is that, from a distance, it looks like an abstract print and then you look closer and theres a curious bull looking right at you. 🤣🤣 🐄 🐮
Really happy with the end product. They are very comfy! I didn’t make many changes to the pattern. Just a touch more room in the rise and a little bit off the waist. I’ll post some closeups of the details tomorrow when I actually take them off. 🤣 "
Grab the pattern from the link in bio!
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