1 About Ngaarlu
Design House


Ngaarlu is the Gumbaynggirr word for water, pronounced nar-loo. It is all-encompassing — rivers, creeks, rain, tides.

Ngaarlu is a Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung family-owned design house founded by artist and creative director Otis Hope Carey alongside partner and fellow creative director Sophie Willing.

Grounded in ancestral storytelling, Ngaarlu creates premium textile collections and design objects that honour Country, community and legacy.

Each limited edition piece is crafted with intention, designed to be worn, held and passed down. Blending function and deep cultural meaning, serving as living vessels of Indigenous language and knowledge.

Through ongoing partnerships with The Returning Indigenous Corporation and Kulai Preschool Aboriginal Corporation, we contribute directly to community and cultural continuity.

2 Community Impact
Design with purpose. Legacy in action.

Every blanket, every story, every release helps support the communities that shape us.

As a family-owned Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung business, we reinvest in community from the inside out. Our giving model is not a side note, it’s central to our purpose.

A portion of every sale supports two grassroots organisations doing vital cultural work:

Kulai Preschool Aboriginal Corporation

Located in Coffs Harbour, Kulai Preschool Aboriginal Corporation has been nurturing First Nations children and families since being established in 1962 by Save the Children Fund. In 1989 it become managed by the local Aboriginal community.

Their early childhood education is rooted in Gumbaynggirr culture and kinship, creating strong foundations for the next generation.


The Returning Indigenous Corporation

Based on Bundjalung Country (Northern NSW), The Returning Indigenous Corporation provide opportunities and programs for Indigenous women, Elders and their families.

They also build deep connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, inviting all people to learn from our ancient wisdoms and cultures.

3 About the Founders


Otis Hope Carey
Artist, Creative Director & Co-Founder, Ngaarlu

Otis Hope Carey is a proud Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung man, living and working on Bundjalung Country in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales. As an artist, his work is a deep expression of cultural memory, spiritual connection and storytelling through form.

Since his first solo exhibition at China Heights Gallery, Sydney in 2016, Otis has devoted his practice to Gaagal, the Ocean — honouring its significance as a spiritual totem of the Gumbaynggirr people. Across three major bodies of work, including Gaagal (Ocean), Ngalunggirr Miinggi (Healing Spirit) and Ngiinda Darrundang Gaagal (I Thank the Ocean), Otis’ visual language explores themes of movement, healing, and ceremony — capturing the energy that flows between people and Country.

His signature line work, drawn from tidal patterns and ceremonial dance, brings a powerful and distinct presence. Though grounded in painting, Otis’s practice extends to bark works, sculpture and large-scale murals — always rooted in story and guided by spirit.

In Ngaarlu, Otis’ art finds a new form. Together with his fiancé and creative partner Sophie Willing, he brings his visual language into textile design — creating pieces that carry cultural meaning into everyday life. This evolution reflects his belief that art can be both sacred and lived with, accessible and enduring.

Otis’ work has been widely recognised across the contemporary art world, with accolades including finalist positions in the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship and the Wynne Prize, and being named GQ Artist of the Year in 2023. Collaborations with global luxury brands include Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin and Longines, alongside special projects with Billabong, Capella Hotels and National Geographic. Otis’ signature linework featured in costuming for Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder.

Beyond the studio, he is a professional free surfer, a devoted father and a respected cultural ambassador.


Sophie Willing
Creative Director & Co-Founder, Ngaarlu


Sophie Willing is the co-founder and creative director of Ngaarlu, a contemporary, family-owned design house founded with fiancé and celebrated First Nations contemporary artist, Otis Hope Carey.

A former international model and muse, Sophie’s work spanned Vivienne Westwood, Chanel, Pam Hogg, Alexander McQueen and Meadham Kirchoff. She has graced the pages of i-D magazine, Twin, Vogue Italia, Interview, Colette Paris and GQ, collaborating with the acclaimed Mikael Jansson, David Bellemere, Ellen Von Unswerth, Rankin, Emma Summerton and Charlotte Tilbury, to name a few.

Sophie brings a refined sensibility honed across twelve years embedded in the fashion avant-garde in Paris, New York and London. She upholds deep cultural respect through her creative leadership, bolstered by ten years working across business management, marketing, strategy and finance.

At the heart of Ngaarlu is the fusion of Sophie’s fashion background and Otis’s Indigenous artistry — a unique alchemy that births sacred, story-rich textiles. Together, they have created a new design language: rooted in Country, woven with ancestral memory and intended for daily connection.

Sophie’s vision is steeped in care — for culture, community and kin. As a mother and custodian of legacy, she is driven by the health and happiness of her family. This sense of purpose infuses every product and initiative Ngaarlu brings into the world.

She also serves as Treasurer and Board Director of The Returning Indigenous Corporation, a First Nations-led not-for-profit dedicated to cultural resurgence and grassroots empowerment. Her leadership across business, art and community is a reflection of her deep belief in beauty with impact and commerce with intention.