Gracing Paris & Beyond

Gracing Paris & Beyond
Words By Ellie Fink
Photography by Wendell Levi Teodoro
There is an ancient language woven through textiles. An unspoken dialogue between fabric and form, colour and light. It is the story whispered by the designer, carried by the model, and felt deeply by the audience who bear witness.

Grace Lillian Lee’s art is a vessel for her journey of reconnection to culture. In 2010, she was instrumental in bringing her grandmother home to the Torres Strait Islands after 57 years away — a moment that also marked Grace’s very first visit to her homelands. This profound experience continues to shape her practice, where woven forms and stories of Country intertwine to honour ancestry and identity.

Her latest creation, “The Guardians”, extends this journey, carrying her from Cairns to the world stage and sharing with audiences the power of art as a bridge between past, present, and future. As a Cairnsborn Meriam Mir designer, Grace has stepped onto the world’s most prestigious runway, making her debut at Paris Haute Couture Week.

As the first Indigenous Australian to independently present a collection at this level, she carried her Torres Strait heritage, woven through her art, into the heart of Europe, transforming couture into ceremony and storytelling.
Going Global
Her journey to Paris began at Brisbane Festival 2024, when the iconic Jean Paul Gaultier fell in love with her collection.

His admiration for her unique sculpted couture was unlike anything he had seen, and his endorsement allowed her to secure a once-in-a-lifetime, three-month residency at the world-famous Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris.

“This particular opportunity came through Louise Bezzina, the creative director of Brisbane Festival, whose vision was to bring Jean Paul Gaultier’s cabaret show to Paris,” Grace said.

“I had never known how I’d take that next big international step. I wasn’t actively chasing it, because so much of my energy has gone into building First Nations Fashion + Design on a national level. But I always had this desire to keep developing my art practice, an art practice that straddles art and fashion, creating wearable art. That goes right back to my high school days at Cairns High.

“His (Jean Paul’s) endorsement (through Creative Australia for the residency) was the whole reason I think I got the residency, and it gives you three months of accommodation here in the Marais and a small grant that helps you be here,” she said.

When the Paris opportunity crystallised, Grace already had the ingredients: a couture practice forged over 15 years of weaving and a mission to elevate Mob through First Nations Fashion + Design, the charity she founded.

“We’re producing works of art that are couture because they’re slow and handcrafted,” Grace said.

“The intention is to preserve culture.”

Her collection, “The Guardians”, evolved from her solo exhibition “The Dreamweaver – Guardians of Grace”, which translated gallery ritual into wearable ceremony.

The build took place at Cairns TAFE, spanning eight intense weeks with Sydney-based lead technicians, local makers, and volunteers.

“I was working seven days a week. It was a huge feat to produce a couture collection in Cairns with minimal technicians,” she said.

“I can’t believe we did it. It hasn’t really hit because I’m still working and it’s still going.”

First Nations Fashion on the 
World Stage
Grace’s success represents a cultural breakthrough.

For the first time, Torres Strait weaving traditions and Indigenous design philosophies have been elevated within a couture context, supported by 
the recognition of fashion icons and global celebrities.

The roots of Grace Lillian Lee’s couture practice trace back to 2010, when Torres Strait elder Uncle Ken Thaiday first taught her the weaving technique that would become the heartbeat of her work.

With a degree in fashion design from RMIT already under her belt, Grace recognised an immediate synergy between traditional weaving and the technical skills she had developed for garment construction. The result was a new form of expression – one that literally dressed bodies in culture while pushing it into contemporary spaces.

Over the past 15 years, her weaving has evolved under the guidance of mentors who nudged her creativity in new directions.

One such influence was the creative director of Sass & Bide, who urged her to hone in on “the grasshopper” weave and experiment with proportion and colour. Those words planted the seed for an artistic journey defined by innovation, respect for tradition, and a refusal to be confined by expectation.
“I do feel proud, and I know this is just the beginning. Our dream is to create an ongoing relationship between Paris and Cairns, especially Mob,” she said.

“We want to share our work with more people. The room we presented in Paris was beautiful, but the world needs to see this. Having people like Jean Paul Gaultier and Andrew Bolton, curator of the Met, in the audience was huge. To have those ‘heavy hitters’ experience our work was so special, and it shows that the timing is right.

“The industry is ready to embrace more First Nations narratives, and the craftsmanship we bring is respected here in Paris. That energises me to keep going.

“I’ve also built incredible connections. People like Diane Pernet, a cultural leader who runs the fashion film festival here. These relationships matter, and I feel it’s important to return and continue building on this momentum.

“We can’t just do one show and walk away. Many people here have never even heard of the Torres Strait Islands. Sharing our culture is something I feel deeply compelled to do.

“If we’re going to share our culture, they’ve never heard of the Torres Strait. I want to stand on top of a mountain and tell the world.”
“Our country is beautiful, lush, and unique. Being here has shown me what’s possible. I know we’ll be back, and with even stronger support.”

The Journey, With Cairns at the Core
Raised in Cairns, Grace’s journey began with her deep connection to Torres Strait cultural practices and the weaving traditions passed down by her elders. Her career has spanned fashion design, art installations, and cross-cultural collaborations, always anchored in community and identity.

She has worked tirelessly to amplify Indigenous voices within the fashion world, curating platforms for other First Nations designers while developing her own creative practice.

As a teenager, Grace sometimes wondered if living in Cairns would limit her. Now she sees the opposite.

“When I was younger, I actually used to get frustrated with my parents. I’d say, ‘Why Cairns? You’ve let me dream big, but where do I go from here?’ I worried that being there limited my potential,” she said.

“But looking back, it actually shaped me. My family always supported my visions and aspirations and gave me the space to chase them. That’s where it all began.”

The Australian Ballet, Zimmermann & The Big Road Ahead
For Grace, the journey ahead is about continuing to weave culture, fashion, and
identity into a global narrative.
A return to Couture Week is already pencilled for January 2027. But in the meantime, she’s designing costumes for the Australian Ballet and Bangarra’s new production, “Flora”, created from her Paris studio, and preparing a threemonth exhibition as the inaugural artist in Zimmermann’s new Marais gallery during Paris Fashion Week.

“There are some other very cool things I can’t talk about yet,” she said.

“I will be designing the costumes for The Australian Ballet right here in Paris for their upcoming show, which is incredible,” she said.

“It’s cool to be immersed and influenced in this space and seeing the style – everyone here (in Paris) is so stylish!

“My plan moving forward is to work in a biannual rhythm, where one year I’ll present an exhibition, and the following year I’ll create a collection in response to that body of work. So next year, I’ll be heading home to work with my family and community on a new project that will debut at Couture in January 2027.
“For me, fashion has never just been about fashion. It sits on that fine line between art and design. What I create is really a hybrid of art and fashion, a continued evolution of culture. I don’t necessarily look to specific people for inspiration; instead, it’s the practice itself and the cultural connection that guide me.

“Being here in Paris has also opened new doors. I’ll be here for Paris Fashion Week, and I’ve been invited to exhibit at a brand-new gallery opening at Zimmermann’s, where I’ll be the inaugural exhibitor.

“That exhibition will run for three months, which is incredibly exciting. On top of that, I’ve been invited to some other opportunities here in the city that I can’t speak about just yet, as they haven’t been announced publicly.”

Ultimately, Grace measures success by the doors it opens for others.

“We’re creating an environment where young people, especially Mob, can see it, believe it, and be it,” she said.