Desert Rain | Silk Scarf
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Celebrating Indigenous Culture
Supports Aboriginal Artists
Designed in Australia
Products are dispatched within 2 to 3 business days
Free delivery over $99
Product Description
Authentic Aboriginal art. Luxurious pure silk. Meaningful Australian design.
Wrap yourself in a piece of Australian art with the Desert Rain Dreaming Silk Scarf, featuring an exquisite Aboriginal artwork by highly acclaimed Warlpiri artist Bessie Nakamarra Sims.
Created in Mainie’s signature style - Luxurious, Authentic, Unique - this pure silk scarf brings together timeless elegance, cultural meaning and ethical fashion in one beautiful wearable artwork.
The design tells the powerful Ngapa Jukurrpa - Desert Rain Dreaming story, a traditional Water Dreaming from Wapurtali, west of Yuendumu in Central Australia. Rich with vibrant colour and intricate detail, the artwork evokes storm clouds, rain, water soakages and the life-giving force of water in the desert.
Crafted from 100% silk chiffon, this scarf is soft, light and graceful to wear. It drapes beautifully, adding instant polish to resort wear, evening outfits, travel wardrobes and everyday style.
The generous 65cm x 180cm size makes it wonderfully versatile - wear it long and flowing, looped loosely around the neck, wrapped over the shoulders or styled as a statement piece.
Unlike mass-produced fashion accessories, every Mainie scarf carries a real story. Each design is created from authentically licensed Aboriginal artwork, with the artist’s story included and royalties paid to the artist’s family. Your purchase directly supports ethical collaboration with Aboriginal artists and helps keep authentic Indigenous art, culture and storytelling visible, valued and respected.
This is more than a silk scarf. It is a luxurious Australian keepsake, a meaningful gift and a beautiful way to wear art with purpose.
Why you’ll love it
Authentic Aboriginal art design
Features original artwork by celebrated Warlpiri artist Bessie Nakamarra Sims.
Pure silk luxury
Made from 100% silk chiffon for an elegant, lightweight and fluid drape.
Ethically created
Licensed artwork with royalties paid to the artist’s family.
Designed in Australia
A sophisticated Australian fashion piece inspired by ancient culture and contemporary style.
Sustainable natural fibre
Silk is a naturally biodegradable fibre, making this a more considered choice than synthetic fashion accessories.
Beautifully giftable
Carefully presented in an elegant handmade box with information about the original artwork and Aboriginal artist, making it an exceptional Australian gift.
Product details
- 100% silk chiffon
- Digitally printed to capture the vivid detail of the original artwork
- Hand-rolled hem
- Size: 65cm wide x 180cm long
- Includes information about the artwork and artist
- Royalties paid to the artist’s family
- Designed in Australia
The Artwork Story
Ngapa Jukurrpa
The Ngapa Jukurrpa, or Water Dreaming, comes from Wapurtali, a place on the ancestral homelands of the Warlpiri Aboriginal people in the remote Tanami Desert region of Central Australia.
Resplendent in the glorious, sun-drenched colours of the Australian Outback, Bessie Nakamarra Sims’ original artwork, Ngapa Jukurrpa, reflects the unique beauty of her desert homelands and the Dreaming stories handed down through countless generations.
Bessie’s painting depicts the story of smoke rising from a fire to form a great storm cloud. A bird then carried the storm cloud west across the desert, where it became too heavy and fell to the ground as rain. Ngapa means water in the Warlpiri language.
The vibrant colours and intricate detail of the artwork beautifully capture the spectacular desert landscape as it comes to life after the rains.
Through this scarf, an ancient desert rain story is transformed into a luxurious piece of contemporary Australian fashion.
Wear it as art. Gift it with meaning. Treasure it for years.
About the Artist
Bessie Nakamarra Sims
Bessie Nakamarra Sims was born in the bush in the 1930s and lived for many years before coming into contact with white people.
Bessie’s ancestral homelands are around Mt. Doreen Station, a large cattle station west of Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 kms north-west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.
Bessie was the wife of Paddy Japaljarri Sims (deceased), a renowned artist both nationally and internationally, who painted with the world acclaimed Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu.
Bessie was one of the most valued members of the Warlukurlangu Artists Community. She painted consistently with Warlukurlangu Artists since the centre was first established in 1985 and exhibited both in Australia and internationally in group exhibitions.
Learn more about Bessie Nakamarra Sims:
https://www.mainie.com.au/pages/bessie-nakamarra-sims
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Our Happy Customers
Customer Reviews
Mainie is a brand I proudly wear for so many reasons. I love that each scarf has a story and that I know with each piece funds go back to the woman that designed it. I adore the vibrancy of the colours and the high quality, I have had my scarves for many years now and they are so versatile from wearing them to do presentations or going out for lunch. I stand for empowering women and standing proud in your individuality and Mainie embodies this in every way.
Lesley Buckman
Our Mainie scarves have become an essential wardrobe component both at home and when travelling. They serve to elevate any outfit whilst also celebrating Australian First Nations culture with dignity and sophistication. The silk product is beautiful to wear and the merino wool is unbelievable soft and so warm. Lightweight, easy to pack and always commented on.
Tanya, Emily and Elizabeth
I love the Mainie Scarves, for myself and as the perfect gift. They are investment pieces that will be part of your wardrobe for life. I love travel and one or two scarves are always included in my luggage. They are perfect on the plane and for dressing up outfits. I take a Merino scarf for cooler climates and silk ones everywhere else. However, the very best part is the ethical basis of the brand. I know I support a woman artist from a First Nations community when I purchase something from Mainie. They look good and do good at the same time.
Jo Pyne
Customer Reviews
Mainie is a brand I proudly wear for so many reasons. I love that each scarf has a story and that I know with each piece funds go back to the woman that designed it. I adore the vibrancy of the colours and the high quality, I have had my scarves for many years now and they are so versatile from wearing them to do presentations or going out for lunch. I stand for empowering women and standing proud in your individuality and Mainie embodies this in every way.
Lesley Buckman
Our Mainie scarves have become an essential wardrobe component both at home and when travelling. They serve to elevate any outfit whilst also celebrating Australian First Nations culture with dignity and sophistication. The silk product is beautiful to wear and the merino wool is unbelievable soft and so warm. Lightweight, easy to pack and always commented on.
Tanya, Emily and Elizabeth
I love the Mainie Scarves, for myself and as the perfect gift. They are investment pieces that will be part of your wardrobe for life. I love travel and one or two scarves are always included in my luggage. They are perfect on the plane and for dressing up outfits. I take a Merino scarf for cooler climates and silk ones everywhere else. However, the very best part is the ethical basis of the brand. I know I support a woman artist from a First Nations community when I purchase something from Mainie. They look good and do good at the same time.
Jo Pyne
Introducing Australian Cultural Heritage to the World
Founded by Gunggari Aboriginal woman Charmaine Saunders in 2012, Mainie is a Supply Nation certified Indigenous Australian-owned company and an Indigenous Art Code approved dealer member. We recognise the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
We acknowledge the sorrow of the Stolen Generations and the impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We respect the resilience, strength and pride of Australia’s First Nations people and their communities. Mainie is committed to supporting Aboriginal women artists to earn an independent income from their own work and to keep alive their traditional cultural heritage for future generations.