Country Road is launching its first co-designed homewares range with highly acclaimed painter and printmaker, Kieren Karritpul, on 30 June.

The range will feature pieces that each communicate a different story from Daly River, the traditional lands where Karritpul lives. The designs salute the cultural significance of the billabongs, mermaids and turtles of this region.

Karritpul partnered with Country Road in 2020 after he received the honourable accolade of the textile design award at the National Indigenous Fashion Awards. 

In reimagining his artworks into a limited home range, Country Road and Karritpul committed to a nurturing and thoughtful co-design process to ensure his signature style was represented in the material, shape and function of every piece.

Karritpul’s artistic history starts decades before he was born, as he comes from a long line of artists and creators.

“I was already born to be an artist from my grandmother, great-grandmother and mother. I’m the fourth generation of that artist,” says Karritpul.

He attributes his observations of the women in his community weaving baskets and fishing nets as inspiration for his current artistic methodology. Karritpul’s paintings, fabrics and ceramics feature lines and circular forms that symbolise life on the land.

General manager of the Indigenous social change agency Cox Inall Ridgeway, Yatu Widders Hunt, says the collaboration exemplifies a successful artist and brand partnership that is anchored in mutual respect. 

“Karritpul’s aspirations guided the project from end to end. It’s a great example of how co-design achieves amazing outcomes and an exciting initiative,” says Widders Hunt, who is also Country Road’s cultural advisor.

Karriptul’s artworks influenced the development of the eight-piece dining range comprising five ceramic bowls and three linen textiles.

The brand’s head of home design Ty Simonds outlines how the idea for a dining range emerged from Karriptul reminiscing about his upbringing.

“The importance of the billabongs, mermaids and turtles of the Naiyu community became really clear – we decided on a dining range because it was about life giving, sharing with family and community,” says Simonds. 

The team enlisted the support of Bendigo Pottery, Australia’s oldest operating pottery studio, to assist in the manufacture of the ceramics. The clay was sourced from central Victoria, and then moulded, printed and fired in-house at the studio. 

Additionally, Karriptul’s artworks were syndicated across onto two linen tea towels and a table runner, before being hand-screen printed at Collingwood-based Printink Studio, led by Jason Cecani and Nadia Husiak. 

The studio propagates the artisan skill of hand-screen printing, which involves the same two pairs of hands printing, touching and assembling every piece of cloth. The team also aims to use 100 percent natural fibres, and water-based and solvent-free Australian ink.

Country Road says it’s ecstatic to present a co-design range that embraced unflagging consultation and collaboration with Karritpul in honouring his work as a Ngen’giwumirri artist.

The Australian made co-design with Kieren Karritpul will be available in select Country Road stores and online from June 30.

Featured Image by Patch Clapp: Kieren Karritpul at Merrepen Arts.

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