Indigenous Australian fashion designer Grace Lillian Lee lives in Cairns, a coastal city of mainland Queensland, but she’s part Torres Straight Islander. A few years ago she visited the islands with her grandmother, who hadn’t been back in nearly 60 years. The trip would have a lasting impact on Lee. “Not only did I reconnect with family but I also learnt how to weave for ceremony,” she says.
Since then, Lee has adapted her people’s long history of weaving into a contemporary practice of fashion and jewellery design. “The opportunity to share my culture through my fashion collections using such a traditional skill as weaving is incredibly special to me.”
Her story is far from atypical among Australia’s Indigenous fashion designers. Lee says they are often distinguished from the broader industry by the strong influence that cultural heritage plays in their artistic practice – but “while some are bold about their lineage, showcasing their collections using styles the wider community would immediately identify as being Indigenous, others are subtler”.
Lee has curated two showcases of fashion and wearable art from Indigenous Queensland for the upcoming Melbourne Fashion festival: Birrimbi Dulgu Bajal (Sea and Rainforest Dreaming) and Mi Art, Mi Fashion, Mi Models, which is dedicated to the designers of Mornington Island.
Altogether 11 designers will be featured, including Nickeema Williams, who will showcase her first ever collection of hand-painted and dyed shorts, skirts, scarfs and dresses with handmade jewellery and crowns, alongside more established designers such as screen and batik printer Cynthia Vogler.
While contemporary fashion remains a relatively new platform for Indigenous communities, Lee says the strong art tradition of places like Mornington Island are being reflected in their felting techniques. Meanwhile, digitally printed silks from Erub Erwer Meta (Darnley Island Art Centre) come inspired by the traditional dress of Torres Strait Islander women and the patterns and kaleidoscopic beauty of the island’s coral reef surrounds.
Twenty male and female models have been flown from north Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands for the shows, with choreography by Fiona Wirrer-George. For some of the men and women it will not only be the first time they’ve modelled at a big ticket fashion event, but their first major trip away from home.
The chief executive of the Melbourne Fashion festival, Graeme Lewsey, says showcasing the work of talented Indigenous designers is “incredibly important” to the festival. “The contribution of people from different cultures adds to the melting pot of creativity that is our festival and represents an open Australia and its heritage.
“At a raw creative level, this is simply incredibly creative work, especially the use of prints, colour and storytelling that is unrivalled.”
The festival’s Global Indigenous Runway will present contemporary fashion inspired by traditional Indigenous customs and clothing from around the world, acting as an international companion to the festival’s Indigenous Australian fashion program.
Lewsey says to expect strong looks from the designers. “We’ll of course see print works that are inspiring and full of meaning, and felting, feathers and bright colours, as well as natural fibres, hand-dyed fabrics, weaving and woodwork that are reminiscent of the lands of the Indigenous people.”
Lee says Indigenous fashion hasn’t been well represented in the recent history of Australian fashion but such showcases represent a great opportunity for designers and models. And while the Vogue covergirl Samantha Harris has been an excellent world ambassador for Indigenous Australian models, “there are a lot of other talented Indigenous models out there”.
She is also developing a mentoring program that matches Indigenous Australian designers with fashion brands and universities. “In the long term, we need to concentrate on creating a continuous stream of opportunities for Indigenous designers.”
Fashion is a “tough, fast-moving industry” that Lee says she is still learning to navigate. “We are right at the beginning of this movement and just cementing our stamp on the fashion industry. But we will always follow our own methods and tread our own paths, inspired by our heritage.”
- Melbourne Fashion festival’s Birrimbi Dulgu Bajal is on 3 March, while Mi Art, Mi Fashion, Mi Models and the Global Indigenous Runway are both on 8 March
