Officeworks, Australia’s leading retailer for technology, office supplies, furniture, stationery, and learning and development resources, is reinforcing its commitment to supporting local partners and giving back to the community. Officeworks is expanding its range of office supplies by partnering with YINDI Manufacturing, an Indigenous Australian company dedicated to creating exceptional office furniture and plastics. This collaboration will introduce locally produced chairs upholstered with patterned fabrics designed by Aboriginal artist Jedess Hudson.
As a majority Indigenous owned company, Yindi Manufacturing is committed to fostering economic growth, empowering indigenous communities and promoting culture diversity in the office furniture sector. Yindi Manufacturing’s Butchulla Collection is ranged exclusively online at Officeworks, reinforcing the retailer’s commitment in sharing the knowledge of Indigenous culture and local businesses with wider audiences.
Ramone Close, the proud founder of Yindi Manufacturing, is deeply committed to the socio-economic advancement of First Nations communities. Through his business, he champions the power of collaboration and sustainable practices to drive meaningful operations.
Ramone shares, “We are not just building chairs, we are sharing culture with not only our community but also with non-First Nations community. The journey to our partnership started with a thought and a dream to have a chair in Officeworks and here I am two years later.”
Ramone added, “I am particularly proud of the Yindi Butchulla Collection as it was named and inspired by my Aunty Jeannie Bell – she was a community linguist and warrior, and she collated the Butchulla language so I wanted to carry on her legacy educating First Nations and non-First Nations people of the Aboriginal language through office furniture products.”
The range of ergonomic chairs sold through Officeworks starts from $269 is made in Queensland, features a 3-lever mechanism, Australian-moulded seat foam and Indigenous-made under-seat plastic. As well as this it is uniquely upholstered by Brendan Ward-Anning, a Yidindji man from far north Queensland. Brendan began his career at Yindi Manufacturing as an apprentice who expressed desire to grow in his craft which now sees him the Managing Director of Yindi Manufacturing.
The design came to life through collaboration, with the Aboriginal-inspired pattern created by visual artist and graphic designer Jedess Hudson, is a descendant of the Ewamian and Western Yalanji people of North Queensland. Each piece is designed as a unique piece of art, inspired her ancestors and people and the environment such as bush tucker, flora and fauna, the seasonal change, the elements of earth, wind and fire, plus so much more.
Jedess shares, “When we go onto country and listen to the earth it provides us with so much room for inspiration. It is not just me as an individual but thousands of years of culture that we translate and hopefully others can purchase and feel too.”
The partnership with Officeworks strives to elevate Indigenous businesses to a national stage, significantly contributing to community development. The new YINDI range is now a proud part of Officeworks’ People and Planet Positive range, which supports customers to make more sustainable choices when shopping their favourite products. The range includes recycled content, wooden materials, certified cotton as well as Indigenous products that are created or designed by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and businesses.
Officeworks Head of Sustainability, Product Safety and Corporate Affairs, Fiona Lawrie shares, “People and the Planet are at the heart of everything we do. We recognise the important role we play in the lives of our team members and in the local communities where we live and work.
By integrating collaborations such as our partnership with Yindi Manufacturing into our operations, and decision-making processes, we aim to foster a greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, customs, and culture, while enabling our customers to have access to products that promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses and traditions. We are immensely proud of our partnership with Yindi and look forward to continuing to see it grow even further.”
Later in the year, this partnership will see the expansion of furniture chairs that will display a vibrant range of First Nations designs and fabric by the Dream Weave Collective.
To shop the online-only Yindi Range, click here. To shop the wider ‘supporting community’ range forming the People and Planet Positive Officeworks range, click here: Supporting Communities | Officeworks
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