Arts Law Helps Mim Cole Secure a Fair Fashion Collaboration

Mim Cole is a Larrakia, Wardaman, Karajarri woman and visual artist from the Northern Territory. In 2024, Mim came to Arts Law with an urgent request for advice. Mim had been collaborating with a fashion designer on a project for the Indigenous Fashion Projects’ ‘Country to Couture’ runway show for 2025, which is held annually at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF). Mim was to create brand-new artworks for exclusive use on the runway, and the designer was to create brand-new garment designs based on the artwork supplied by Mim.

We were able to talk with Mim about the provisions of her draft collaboration agreement and provide her with a mark-up of Arts Law’s artist and designer collaboration agreement. Mim describes her experience at Arts Law: “I was initially nervous about contacting Arts Law because I didn’t know much about legal agreements. I needed help quickly to create an agreement between myself, as the Indigenous artist, and the fashion designer I was collaborating with. I thought it would take a long time, but Arts Law treated me with care and importance. They really had my back, handled my urgent situation seriously, and communicated well. We got everything done in time! The staff were wonderful and felt like friends when I talked to them.”

The final fashion collection will be seen on the runway at Country to Couture 2025 on Larrakia Country.