Miimi & Jiinda is an Aboriginal fashion and art house founded by Melissa Greenwood.

Born on Gumbaynggirr Country, the house is shaped by Melissa’s Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Dunghutti heritage, her living relationship with Country and her creative vision.

Melissa began painting professionally in 2018. Her original artworks became the creative foundation for Miimi & Jiinda. Today, as founder and creative director, she leads the house across art and fashion.

Art remains at the heart of Miimi & Jiinda. Melissa’s original paintings are contemporary works in their own right and the starting point for the fashion collections. They grow from lived experience and relationship with Country. Colour, composition and story move from canvas into textiles and garments, taking new form through fabric, silhouette and movement. The artwork remains connected to the story from which it came.

Raised between Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung Nations, Melissa grew up surrounded by culture, family and community. These foundations continue to shape her art and the way she moves through the world.

The women in Melissa’s family are central to this story. Her mother, Gumbaynggirr artist Lauren Jarrett, is a Stolen Generations survivor. Taken from her family at nine years old, she was one of 14 children removed from Melissa’s grandmother. Through painting and weaving, Lauren reclaimed cultural knowledge and raised her children to take pride in who they were. The experiences of Melissa’s mother and grandmother, and the strength of generations of women before them, helped shape her determination to create change.

Miimi & Jiinda grew from that purpose: to celebrate culture, create opportunity for her people and shift the lens through which Aboriginal culture is seen. Through art and fashion, Melissa brings her lived experience into contemporary work, inviting the world to encounter the stories she carries in all their beauty and sophistication.

“Miimi” means mother and “Jiinda” means sister in Gumbaynggirr language. Together, the words speak to the matriarchal foundation of the house and the generations of women who have shaped its story.

Miimi & Jiinda has evolved from its beginnings in art into a house spanning original artworks, fashion and collectible pieces. For Melissa, the stories she paints deserve a beautiful canvas. In fashion, that same respect carries into the fabric chosen, the cut and movement of a garment and the care with which it is made. Pieces are created to be lived with, worn and treasured.

Miimi & Jiinda is grounded in Country, culture and community, and these foundations remain at the heart of the work as it continues to evolve. Everything we create is approached with respect for cultural protocol and a commitment to supporting, mentoring and collaborating within our First Nations communities.

We believe art has the power to shift perspectives. Someone may first be drawn to the colour of a painting, the movement of fabric or the shape of a garment. With time, there is more to discover: the story it carries and the relationships from which it grew.

We welcome those who come with curiosity, respect and heart. You don’t need to share the same story to be part of this one.