Cotton Tote Bag, Kaikazi Ia

Sale price$19.95
Bundle: A single bag
In stock, ready to ship

Authentic Indigenous artwork by First Nations artist Glen Mackie. Learn more →

PRODUCT DETAILS

Specifications

Fabric & Care

material   MATERIAL


20%

Lightweight

Heavyweight



90%

Waterproof

Not Waterproof



Sustainability 🍃

Environmentally Responsible
Eco-Friendly
This polo is manufactured with yarns made from recycled PET bottles (approx 14-16 of them). It is printed with high-quality carcinogen-free pigment inks. No cancer-causing chemicals and undesirable surfactants.

Zero plastic
We pack your threads in recyclable acid-free tissue paper and use only plant-based home compostable mailers, at no extra cost. By sending your parcel with our delivery partner Australia Post, you’re supporting their carbon-offset projects that have positive environmental and social impacts. Since 2019, their carbon neutral parcel delivery initiative is equivalent of taking 75,000 cars off the road – or roughly 200,000 tonnes of emissions.

Controlled production
Sustainability involves finding a balance between supply and demand. Life Apparel works with local and international factories where only limited quantities are produced of each model to ensure exclusivity and avoid overproduction, like large fashion brands. Learn more →

Sustainable Production
Life Apparel's vetted local and international production partners produce limited quantities of each model, ensuring exclusivity and preventing overproduction.

Eco-Friendly Packaging
No plastic! Our products come in kerbside-recyclable or home compostable mailers, with deliveries through Australia Post supporting carbon-offset projects that reduce emissions.

Fast delivery

Free shipping over $200 Australia-wide. For same day dispatch, order before midday AEST. Learn more →

Easy Returns

Doesn't fit? Send it back within a fortnight for free* for store credits. T&C apply. Learn more →

You Matter!

With every online purchase you make,
the artists get paid too. Learn more →

The Artwork

Tagai is an important constellation Torres Strait Islanders use for navigation at night.

Kaikazi Ia

Created by First Nations artist Glen Mackie (Kei Kalak), a Iama man from Yam Island, Torres Straits, currently residing on Yidinji/Djabugay Country.

Elders are important teachers of culture. Kaikazi ia means old words. Athe (grandfather) is teaching a young boy cultural ways through story and song, asserting community values and life skills as he approaches adulthood. The laws of Malu are sung, made visible by the shark-tooth linear pattern minar (also representing the beat of the warup (traditional drum) and runs from the mouth of Athe to Siu, the younger brother of Malu, depicted running with the wind in his canoe, warning of the imminent onset of the cyclone season. The hammerhead shark beside the canoe is Glen’s major totem.

Athe’s voice carries up to the night sky where Tagai, the warrior is depicted. Tagai is an important constellation Torres Strait Islanders use for navigation at night. The traditional patterning and basket designs refer to the cycle of the seasons - when to perform a ceremony for hunting waru (turtle) and when to plant and harvest crops such as yam. Traditionally, a ceremony was performed to ensure a successful hunt or harvest, appealing to the spirits of nature well in advance to guarantee a more abundant yield.

 

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Authenticity

Life Apparel is a proud, long-time member of the Indigenous Art Code, a system to preserve and promote ethical behaviour in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island art.

Today, and every day – we exist as a messenger and vessel for First Nations Artists. Built on diversity and inclusion, collectively we strive to amplify Indigenous voices, accelerate social change and start important conversations through fashion. As an Australian-owned boutiqe label and proud allies, Life Apparel nurtures supportive, empowering and inclusive environments for everyone.

Cultivating an environment where all voices matter, and where our differences are celebrated and part of who we are.

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