Marie Claire Australia

Fashion FORWARD

When Grace Lillian Lee scored 100 per cent in a wearable arts competition at Cairns High School, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in fashion. Studying at RMIT, she realised how “scary and inaccessible” the fashion industry can be for First Nations people. So she set about changing that, by founding First Nations Fashion + Design in 2019 and hiring an esteemed board of directors to nurture a self-sustaining industry and pave the way for the next generation of creatives. It is our pleasure to introduce the board, along with a showcase of stunning Indigenous designs.

GRACE LILLIAN LEE

Founder and director of First Nations Fashion + Design

MC: You’re a descendant of the Meriam Mer people of the Eastern Islands of the Torres Strait and grew up in Cairns. What are your earliest memories of fashion?

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