All About Me

~Meet Mel~

Founder

Artist

Creator

Proud Yawuru and Karrajarri Woman

Wirli-Wirli (pronunciation willy willy indigenous for fishing) started in August 2022, the idea of designing and creating my own Apparel has always been a goal for me.

Growing up in Broome my most admirable memories were being out on country with my family, camping, hunting, and fishing, our grandmother would tell us stories and teach us about, animals, plants, seasons, language and the importance sharing and teaching our younger generations.

I am a Nagula Jarndu (saltwater woman), and a mother of two very energetic outgoing girls, I have worked in many different spaces from mining to childcare to administration, but my main passion lies with creating art, learning, and teaching ngan-ga (language).

My children are my biggest inspiration, as I endeavour to give them the very best of both worlds while providing for them in a westernised sense, I also encouraging them to be proud of their, history, and culture by passing on my knowledge, taking them out on country and giving them the best possible upbringing full of memories.

My goal here is to create a space where I can share my experiences and the experiences of others, teach language, and give my customers a sense of connection to country, while giving you a piece of my art through my designs. So not only do you get an amazing authentic Aboriginal owned and designed product, but you also get to learn Yawuru ngan-ga and get a sense of connection to the places that you are visiting.

We are in a time when the western world is taking over more and more, we are struggling trying to hold on to every ounce of culture that we possibly can. What better way to live in today’s day in age, by still practicing and teaching culture while gaining financial freedom, from something that brings joy and passion to my life. I believe that knowledge is power and understanding who you are and your connection to country and culture is vital for our people and our Liyarn (good wholesome feeling), also that having a purpose in one’s life is most important of all, when you have purpose, you will have focus and commitment, these two things keep you away from all the negative influences that have plagued our people for so long.

In the future I hope to inspire and encourage other people to share their stories, chase their dreams, and be an advocate to change the stereotypical stigma of Aboriginal people, to show that we can code switch and live in a forever changing world, we are hard workers, living a healthy lifestyle and practising our language and culture still to this day.

Gala Mabu (thank you)