Recognised as a prominent force within the fashion industry – both on and off the runway – Lillardia Briggs-Houston has further supported this, having taken home the Fashion Designer Award at the National Indigenous Fashion Awards yesterday evening.
Supported by Australian fashion brand Country Road since 2020, the Fashion Designer Award was created to recognise and celebrate an individual designer artistic and commercial excellence.
Winning this award saw Houston walk away with a 12 month business mentorship with Country Road. The mentorship with Country Road will be tailored to Houston's broader needs and focus areas for both herself and her brand.
Available in person or online, the mentorship program will also cover and discuss areas such as marketing, product development, sales, finance and sustainability.
"I look forward to learning more about the rich stories woven into Lillardia's designs and supporting her journey as a designer through the 12-month Country Road mentorship", said Nimmi Premaratne, head of design for womenswear at Country Road.
Having started off as a designer studying fashion at TAFE, Ms Briggs-Houston was taught by her trained Wiradjuri grandmother from a young age.
Carrying out all of her own pattern drafting, grading, sampling and textile production, she takes pride in being a hands-on creator, founder and designer.
"I think I was about 13 or 14, and I did my first screen print and made my first shirt and I was so proud," Ms Briggs-Houston told Style Up.
"I thought this is what I want to do for the rest of my life."
Adapting traditional South-East Aboriginal cultural practices such as carving, bush dying and weaving to her work, Ms Briggs-Houston produces all her textiles and garments on country.
"I was immediately drawn to the artistry of Lillardia's collections and in particular, her expertise in printmaking, with each textile hand-painted, printed and produced by the designer on Wiradjuri Country" Ms Premaratne said.
Since having built her label from a small rural community in south-west NSW in 2019, Ms Briggs-Houston has gone on to be a nominee for the inaugural 2021 'Indigenous Designer of The Year' at the Australian Fashion Laureate and dual nominee at the National Indigenous Fashion Awards for three consecutive years.
In 2022, she also won the 'Wearable Art' category award, further cementing her rising success within the industry.
Now adding to this collection of awards, Ms Briggs-Houston was thrilled to walk away with yet another accolade to her name.
"I am truly humbled and filled with gratitude for this incredible honour," she said.
"It is a privilege to be recognised for my work, and to be celebrated amongst a community of exceptionally talented First Nations designers and creatives at the National Indigenous Fashion Awards."
Aiming to create change by using fashion and textiles to challenge perspectives of Aboriginal peoples and culture, Ms Briggs-Houston will be a valuable resource for Country Road, as much as the Australian brand is for her.
"As part of the Fashion Designer Award, I can't wait to start my 12-month mentorship with Country Road and to have the opportunity to work with them and take my brand to new heights," she said.
When asked what asked advice she would give to other creatives – not just fashion designers – who want to reach this level of success, Houston was grounded in her response.
"Keep at it… it does not happen overnight. It takes so many years of practice and dedication to even get to this point," she told Style Up.
"I still feel like I am just at the start of my career.
"If you love what you do keep doing it, keep sharing your stories and I think that's the most important thing."
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