Fashion Forward
- 11 Mar 2015
Grace Lilian Lee talks about her journey from high school to fashion designer and reflects on how her heritage inspires her…
In high school, I would compete in an annual wearable art competition. Each year I created theatrical pieces which were made out of card, plastic, sequins, fabrics, cane, wire and other unconventional materials. Inspired by my final year brief which was Palette, I created three different looks which incorporated art and fashion and three very large paintings which formed the backdrop for the models. The fabrics were painted so that the models came alive when they emerged from the backdrop. When I was awarded the supreme award that year – the first student to ever receive 100% score – I finally realised this was the direction I wanted to venture into: combining fashion, art, textiles and performance.
Living in Cairns has been a major influence and I have always been drawn to the ocean and land for inspiration. My heritage has also been an ever evolving source of inspiration. I started at a young age being inspired by my Chinese heritage and not until recently have I delved into my Torres Strait Islander heritage. In the future this may change as I may look into my Danish and English ancestry. I feel that my creativity is driven by this self-exploration – discovering who I am and where I am from.
I began researching my Indigenous heritage because it is something that my grandmother didn’t get to do and has been unable to pass on me. In 2010, I took my grandmother back to her home on Thursday Island – a place to which she had not returned for 57 years. This was a very emotional journey for my father, my grandmother and me. The knowledge I gained from the people of Darnley and Thursday Islands has helped me develop as a person and I feel more confident about my multicultural heritage. I have also discovered several traditional techniques which have influenced my arts practice. For example, on returning to the mainland, I was able to create a unique, wearable and fashionable neckpiece based on traditional weaving and I designed my own lino print which helped me create new textile designs.
Since starting the search for my direction and purpose in the fashion industry, I have experienced many layers of the industry – from styling, millinery and starting my own business to mentoring, community engagement and creating opportunities for others in the industry. For example, I was the instigator of a fashion incubator in Cairns Central shopping centre, helping local designers fulfil their dreams of finding a market for their fashion ideas. This remains an ongoing monthly activity and the idea has been adopted at the Sunshine Coast by Lend Lease in support of their emerging designers.
In terms of broadening my own horizons, competing in the designer section at the Melbourne Cup enabled me to push the boundaries of art and fashion. Travelling to San Francisco to receive a student Emerging Designer award showed me how fusing art and movement into a fashion show can work successfully. This experience helped me curate the fashion performance held during the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF). The event involves emerging Indigenous artists and designers and highlights the power and the richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through fashion. It is a must see performance.
As well as my involvement in industry events, I have also curated fashion performances overseas and here in Australia in Indigenous communities. This has been the most amazing journey thus far. Experiencing the sense of pride and empowerment the communities have after being a part of these showcases is overwhelmingly emotional. It makes me very happy to see culture being shared through a new dialogue which brings together community, culture, art and fashion, and it is not only the communities that are affected, it is audiences as well.
From a position of strength I am now embarking on the next exciting chapter of my career. Being involved in the Creative Enterprise Australia Fashion Incubator at the Queensland University of Technology has given me deeper insights into creating a commercially ready range to launch this spring-summer. My hope is to continue on my journey through research and to enable people to engage and identify with my creations, no matter which part of my heritage or landscape has inspired me.
I feel there is a massive future in the textile and fashion industry stemming from Australia’s Indigenous cultures. There is a movement happening where people want to learn more about these cultures and connect with them through fashion. I think it also allows women to feel more comfortable in terms of seeing different shapes, sizes and ethnicity through the lens of fashion and gaining an understanding that we are all different and all beautiful in our own special way.
Grace Lillian Lee is a fashion designer based in Cairns, Australia. She is an Honors Graduate from RMIT University and working curator and mentor. Grace creates bespoke cultural designs, transforming cultural craftsmanship into contemporary forms which inspire and inform and collaborating with others to innovate and explore technique. Grace has showcased her work in San Francisco, New Zealand, Melbourne and Sydney and continues to develop her practice working within Australian Indigenous communities to help translate art into fashion. Grace has collaborated with Darnley Island in the Torres Strait and has worked alongside communities in Darwin and Cairns to create a gateway and platform for Australian Indigenous design to be seen in a contemporary way.