About Us
Mission Statement
Yilay is about bridging the cultural knowledge gap between corporate Australia and the broader Indigenous community. We use Indigenous artwork as an educational and engagement tool to help educate corporates and mainstream Australia on Indigenous values, beliefs, cultural practices and protocols.
With every job, we produce stories from the artist, this enables us to showcase and respect the cultural knowledge and vision the artist is trying to portray. As an Indigenous-owned business, we utilise the knowledge passed down from our ancestors, to help communicate and engage with our clients and wider community.
We do this by maintaining a professional standard whilst always valuing our cultural integrity and commitment to the Indigenous community. This is ingrained in our core values and is something we strive to abide by at all levels of the business.
Yilay focuses on separating itself from competitors by offering quality, comfortable, bespoke garments and products.
Our step-by-step communication touch points through graphic design stages and production process enable us to offer high-end customer service. Our clients deal directly with our Managing Director on all aspects of their order, this is Yilay difference.
Yilay's vision is a strong business with family and community values at the forefront. We believe a good business is strongest when accompanied by a solid foundation around it. Yilay is an apparel, promotions, and signage company that the whole community can rely on.
Jesse Green
Owner/Managing Director
Galangoor Djali (Good Day)
Jesse Green is a proud Butchulla/Woppaburra/Gunditjmara man, born and raised in Brisbane. Jesse and his wonderful partner Kirrily, a proud Gumbaynggirr woman, started Yilay to address a need and importance for a fresh, vibrant yet culturally appropriate, 100% Indigenous owned apparel, promotions and signage company.
Jesse has previously been very involved in the Indigenous community in all aspects of his professional life. Running the Indigenous Programs for AFLQ over a four year period. Jesse's scope was overseeing all Indigenous and multicultural engagement and high performance sectors from the Torres Strait Islands, to as far south as Ballina and Casino in NSW.
Transitioning from this role into a Senior Student Support Officer with the Cape York Leaders Program, this tapped into Jesse's firm beliefs that helping to empower and educate the younger Indigenous generation, will inspire these students to be future great leaders back in their communities, something he firmly believes is very important now and for future generations.
During these two roles, Jesse also ran and operated his own Personal Training business JG Fitness, encouraging many in his Indigenous and non-Indigenous community of Brisbane, to get active and live healthier lifestyles.
Healthy choices being an intricate part of Jesse's everyday lifestyle, he envisions Yilay also carrying this vision and implementing it throughout the business, opening avenues through Yilay for the community to engage in some healthy lifestyle initiatives.
This is a reflection on Jesse's sporting life personally, having represented his local Australian Rules club in both NEAFL and QAFL leagues and his Country, State and Region in Touch football. With his worklife and sporting experiences, he has a great knowledge on garments that both feel comfortable yet tick all the technical aspects of a bespoke product.
Jesse is hopeful that Yilay can assist your organisation, company, group or team with all your apparel, promotional or signage requirements and very appreciative of both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous community support.
Kirrily Phillips
Sales and Operations
Kirrily Phillips is a proud Gumbaynggirr women from Northern NSW. spent most of her recent years living in Brisbane.
I’m a proud mum of three and partner to Jesse Green, with a love for kicking the soccer ball around and spending quality time with my family. With over 13 years as a dental practitioner and a lecturer at UQ Dental School, I’ve always enjoyed helping others learn and grow.
Joining Yilay has been an exciting new chapter for me. It’s boosted my confidence and opened up opportunities to develop skills in communication and operations—something completely different from my dental background. I love working on projects that bring people together and celebrate Indigenous creativity, making a real difference in our community. Being part of the Yilay team has been an incredible experience, and I can’t wait to see what we’ll achieve next.
Salu Mam
Sales & Operations
Salu Mam is a proud Torres Strait Islander woman from St Paul Village Moa Island.
I work in the Sales and Operations part of Yilay. Saluis born and has lived her life in Woodridge with deep connections to community and to her community on Moa Island. Salu is a proud mother of a son, and outside of family life, is passionate about staying active through sports like touch football, rugby league and daily gym workouts. Salu thrive on challenges both in her personal life and professional role, always looking for ways to push herself and improve. Whether it's leading a team or working towards a goal, Salu brings energy, dedication and a strong work ethic to everything she does.
Theo Majid
Sales & Operations
Theo is a very proud Torres Strait Islander from Badu and Boigu Island. Theo is from Cairns and strongly connected to community both in Cairns and in the Torres Strait Islands of Badu and Boigu.
As a proud descendant of Badu and Boigu Islands and a Far North Queensland native, he always had a strong connection to his heritage, which has driven his passion to work for a company like Yilay. Growing up in the Far North and visiting the Torres Strait, Theo developed a love for fishing, camping, and all things in between. Sports has also played a significant role in his life, and Theo has been fortunate enough to travel overseas on several occasions, gaining valuable experiences along the way. Theo loves spending time with his beautiful family and prioritising to keep traditions and strong connections to his heritage alive with his son. With nearly a decade of experience in the apparel industry, Theo discovered his passion is being able to showcase Indigenous artworks and creativity through unique and impactful designs. Theo "I aim to expand on my knowledge and learn from the best here at Yilay."
Leah Cummins
Graphics & Marketing
Leah Cummins is a proud Mayi-Kulan bunya (woman) from the Mayi speaking tribes of the North Western Queensland, She is Kalkadoon from Mt Isa and has family ties from the Simpson Desert up to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Leah has spent 22 years of her life in mineral exploration and Oil and Gas around Australia. Leah has a bachelors degree in Geographical Information systems and extensive experience in subsurface as a Geoscientist.
Leah enjoys being creative, painting and digitally drawing country from her knowledge of country from a spatial level from the sky.
Leah finds inspiration in cultural identity and bring her stories of my country and people to life in my art. I paint of stories of strength for women and children, love of the land and all her people.
She pay respect to the ancestors who gave her the stories to turn into storytelling artwork, she wants to share her culture that transcends words and draws people into wanting to learn about First Nations people. Leah paints both traditional and contemporary art using storytelling in every art piece to educate and teach everyone of her people’s culture.
Leah "I hope to inspire and uplift my people by contributing to the sharing of culture and stories through my art. I want to share my love of my people with you."
Nathaniel Chapman
Graphics & Marketing
Nathaniel Chapman is a proud Goenpul Yagera man from Brisbane and North Stradbroke Island. Nathaniel is graphics and marketing at Yilay.
A proud descendant of the Geonpul and Yagera peoples of Minjerribah (North Stradbrokes Island) and Brisbane (Megandjiin), as well as the Wakka Wakka people from Eidsvold. As an artist and graphic designer, his foremost goal is to continually grow and develop his skills. Nathaniel view on learning is a lifelong journey, and that stepping outside his comfort zone is essential for personal growth. Each unique project offers a chance for him to push his boundaries, and experiencing his vision come to life in collaboration with Yilay and other partners is immensely rewarding. Nathaniel has three children his greatest inspiration, and he dedicated to making a positive impact on their lives by teaching them the importance of his strong heritage.
