In producing their fabrics, Willie Weston engages artists from Indigenous-owned arts centres throughout some of the most remote parts of Northern Australia – including Fitzroy Crossing, the Tiwi Islands and Ampilatwatja. The artists are paid for each metre of fabric produced, as well as receiving a share of Willie Weston’s net profits at the end of each financial year. This scalable and ongoing fee structure provides artists with regular income streams outside their main art practice. As part of launching the collection, Tait has chosen to authentically support Indigenous communities by donating to the work of Indigenous not-for-profit organisations, Children’s Ground and Agency Projects.
With growing momentum around the importance of biophilic design (better connecting people and nature through design), Woven Skies enhances outdoor living with relaxed, informal, and low- maintenance outdoor lounging and dining. Each Willie Weston fabric faithfully reproduces the artist’s hand, with only minimal interventions made in order to adapt artworks into repeating designs and develop colourways. As a result, connections to country are evidenced in each design, retaining their inherently hand-produced, organic nature.
Artist Rosie Ngwarraye Ross hunting for sugarbag in Ampilatwatja, approximately 300km northeast of Alice Springs. Image courtesy of Lara Damiani and Artists of Ampilatwatja.
‘Sugarbag Dreaming’ by Rosie Ngwarraye Ross celebrates the honey made by native bees in central and northern Australia, colloquially named ‘sugarbag’. Sugarbag also refers to sweet nectar from the yellow flowers of the ‘tarrkarr’ tree, found around Rosie’s community of Ampilatwatja, approximately 300 kilometres northeast of Alice Springs. Sugarbag Dreaming was developed in partnership with Indigenous owned art centre Artists of Ampilatwatja.
‘Pandanus’ by Osmond Kantilla represents the leaves of the pandanus plant, found all over the Tiwi Islands. Kantilla created this design in memory of his father – Pandanus is his father’s clan group. Kantilla’s family follow the steps of the Pandanus clan when they dance for ceremony. Pandanus was developed in partnership with Indigenous-owned art centre, Tiwi Designs.
‘Rainbows’ by April jones represents the advent of the dry season in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia), depicting the colourful arcs seen in the sky towards the end of the wet season. The design’s origins as a woodblock print can be seen in the textural nature of the rainbow motifs. Rainbows was developed in partnership with Marnin Studio, part of Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre in Fitzroy Crossing.
Designed to withstand the extreme Australian elements – Tait products are made to enjoy a long life. Each piece is manufactured in Australia by skilled craftspeople and are made with robust and environmentally conscious materials. These include; sustainably sourced and dimensionally stable timbers; recycled and corrosion-resistant metals; and GECA certified foams.
Willie Westons outdoor fabric prints exhibit some of the highest-performing attributes available to an exterior-grade fabric including; a 100% solution-dyed Polyester composition; excellent abrasion resistance at 100,000+ Martindale rubs; a water and oil repellant Teflon® finish; UV, mould, stain, chlorine and salt resistance; and 95% colourfastness.
Tait Trace Armchair upholstered in Willie Weston’s Sugarbag Dreaming ‘Ghost Gum’ outdoor fabric by artist Rosie Ngwarraye Ross.
SUSAN TAIT, CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF TAIT
“For almost thirty years, Tait has honed a proud heritage through working with Australian designers and manufacturing locally, so it’s wonderful to now have the opportunity to showcase the work of leading Indigenous artists with our outdoor fabric offering. Until more recently it’s been a challenge to find exterior-grade fabrics which offer both patterned elements and perform exceptionally outdoors. We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this landmark collection to life with such a purposeful brand like Willie Weston. We look forward to strengthening the conduit between First Nations artists and Australian outdoor design,” says Susan Tait, Creative Director of Tait.
The collection is made-to-order in Australia on a short lead time which avoids unnecessary waste while supporting local economies.
Woven Skies by Tait & Willie Weston is now available to order. For Pre-Christmas delivery, please place your order by 1st October.
Tait Trace Armchair’s upholstered in Willie Weston’s Sugarbag Dreaming ‘Ghost Gum’ outdoor fabric by artist Rosie Ngwarraye Ross.
Tait Breeze Sofa upholstered in Willie Weston’s Rainbows ‘Pindan’ outdoor fabric by artist April Jones.
Rainbows ‘Pindan’ artist, April Jones. Image courtesy of Marnin Studio.
Rainbows ‘Pindan’ artist, April Jones working on her wood block print. Image courtesy of Marnin Studio.
Tait Breeze Sofa upholstered in Willie Weston’s Rainbows ‘Pindan’ outdoor fabric by artist April Jones.
Tait Linear Table & Jak Chair upholstered in Willie Weston’s Pandanus ‘Eucalypt’ outdoor fabric by artist Osmond Kantilla.
Pandanus plant, the leaves of which are represented in Willie Weston’s Pandanus ‘Eucalypt’ outdoor fabric by artist, Osmond Kantilla.
Tait Linear Table & Jak Chair upholstered in Willie Weston’s Pandanus ‘Eucalypt’ outdoor fabric by artist Osmond Kantilla.
‘Woven Skies’ Material Palette featuring Tait textured powder coats and timbers with Willie Weston’s Sugarbag Dreaming, Pandanus and Rainbows outdoor fabrics.
CHILDREN’S GROUND
Children’s Ground is a First Nations-led not-for-profit organisation focused on ending entrenched intergenerational disadvantage of Indigenous communities through driving community, systemic and societal change. childrensground.org.au
AGENCY PROJECTS
Agency is an Indigenous not-for-profit that celebrates and promotes Indigenous art, culture, people and Country on a local, national and international scale through the initiation and facilitation of Indigenous- led projects, partnerships and events. agencyprojects.org
Together, Tait and Willie Weston acknowledge the Traditional owners of the land on which we work, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, and pay respects to Elders past, present and future.
World-renowned for his design innovation and distinct Australian aesthetic, we recently sat down with our friend and frequent collaborator, the very talented Adam Goodrum to share more about our Voom collection.
Read More
With another successful year drawing to a close the Tait team would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your support.
This year marked 30 years of Tait being owned and operated in Australia, committed to shining a light on Australian designers and creating high performance pieces for local and global audiences.
Read More
We sat down with Susan Tait, Creative Director of Tait to find out the top 5 items to consider when planning the perfect outdoor entertaining space.
1. Consider the space
2. Ensure flexibility
3. Layer
4. Blend colour, materials and natural elements
5. Invest in quality pieces
The 2023 Interior Design Excellence Awards was full of innovative design and talent last night, with our Voom Collection Highly Commended in the ‘Object, Furniture, Lighting – Professional’ category. To be acknowledged is always a huge honour, recognising the work of our entire team to bring the Voom Collection to life. Huge congratulations to Tait designer, Ross Gardam for winning the category with his innovative Volant chandelier, a modern chandelier that’s akin to a kinetic sculpture, also made in Melbourne.
Read More
We are thrilled to be part of the brand new The Design Files Design Directory – launched this week! Featuring Tait products from our Voom Lounger to Swing Chair, Seam Dining Chair to the Trace Drinks Trolley, it’s a haven of design inspiration.
Read More
Warmer weather and longer days are just around the corner. Bring your holiday home this Summer with Tait and transform your outdoor space in time for the New Year. With just six weeks left to place your order for guaranteed pre-Xmas delivery, now is the time to be planning which table you’ll be entertaining at, or which lounge you’ll be relaxing on this holiday season.
Read More
