OzAboriginal: Cross-Cultural Triumph

12 July 2010

On display at OzAboriginal's stand at Decoration + Design will be an array of soft furnishings including striking chainstitch woollen rugs and cushions. They represent a cross-cultural collaboration.

"They're woven at fair-trade workshops in Kashmir and the designs are based on original paintings by Central Australian indigenous artists who receive royalties for their work," explains Sylvie Tsatsaronis who with her husband, Aadil Jan, founded OzAboriginal in 1992.

Today, the Sydney company that supplies museums, galleries and upmarket gift stores nationwide, carries an extensive range of art and artefacts, homewares, clothing, jewellery, stationery and more, though its beginnings were humble.

"We began in our loungeroom, but within three months we had a warehouse and three years later, we bought an entire building for OzAboriginal," says Sylvie.

"It's a real passion and from the start we were determined it should be entirely ethical. Every item is either exclusive in design or licensed."

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