Talented Wiradjuri Artist Kristie Peters has made a name for herself within Canberra and surrounding regions, with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities embracing the artists' work through her business Yarrudhamarra Creations, which she operates alongside her life and business partner Tim Mutton.

Since Yarrudhamarra's conception, Ms Peters has been commissioned to design murals which feature in numerous schools, government organisations and local shop fronts throughout the Australian Capital Territory.

Ms Peters is now preparing to spread her wings further with the launch of a new venture, 'Blaklabel Dreaming', which will be introduced at the highly anticipated inaugural Canberra Indigenous Fashion Show.

Excited by the announcement, Ms Peters advised National Indigenous Times she will be working with numerous groups and individuals on the project.

"We'll be working with the University of Canberra and collaborating with emerging First Nations artists and students to produce a first ever First Nations Fashion Show," Ms Peters said.

Canberra Centre's General Manager, Gary Stewart said after initially working with Miss Peters in mid-2022, the relationship has flourished over the past year.

"The Centre proudly features a permanent custom mural by Kristie, and was fortunate to incorporate one of her designs into the 2022 NIFA Visual Showcase," Mr Stewart said.

"Through our valued partnership with the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation (DAAFF) and Indigenous Fashion Projects (IFP), we aim to promote indigenous local talent, encouraging artists and designers to participate in future National Indigenous Fashion Awards and events.

"The Local Artist Activation program further propelled Kristie's growth in fashion and textile design while she worked behind the scenes with IFP at NIFA. We eagerly support Kristie's journey into the textile industry and the launch of her brand, 'Blak Label Dreaming'."

Ms Peters said she is determined to make the inaugural Canberra Indigenous Fashion Show a success.

"We are committed to making this year's Indigenous fashion show not just the first ever community fashion show, but a successful runway show, to run every year for the next generations," she said.

"The festival will demonstrate the depths of incredible Indigenous talent and for First Nations people to showcase their skills.

Ms Peters said the show will be held as a platform to launch Black Label Dreaming's collection line, with the purpose to promote Indigenous designs and textile diversity, strength, inclusion by bringing inspiration and hope to empower First Nations people in Canberra to get involved in the fashion industry.

"My goal is to provide a pathway and opportunities for First Nations people in Canberra to showcase their skills benefiting not only the individual, but also the community with a chance to engage with First Nations people, most importantly, bringing community together," she said.

The National Indigenous Times were treated to a sneak peak of the Blaklabel Dreaming collection whilst Ms Peters shared the inspiration behind the label.

The story behind Blaklabel Dreaming started when Ms Peters was a teenager with her twin brother, BJ.

The inseparable pair signed up to study Fashion and Aboriginal Art with Canberra Institute of Technology's Yurauna Centre.

She advised they loved the course so much they did it twice, but were unsure of where to go next.

When family commitments emerged, their love of fashion was put to the side.

Ms Peters spoke fondly of her late twin brother.

He was very protective, very protective. And I could never do no wrong... In his eyes and everything like that. He was always the popular one and I was always the shy one, but he always made sure that I was okay," she said.

Mr Peters passed away four years ago.

"I want to keep his legacy alive through fashion, help keep his memory alive, while supporting the next generation, it also helps with my healing," Ms Peters said.

Ms Peters' first big break into the fashion world came when she was invited by the Canberra Centre to paint a prop for the National Indigenous Fashions Awards.

"I've always been saying to family, I want to do something that will remind me of my twin brother, what can I do?," she said.

"As soon as I was talking about it, this sort of came up and it's sort of like… I don't know whether it's him that's guiding me or tapping on the shoulder."

As her career began to blossom, she was invited to work with the award winning fashion designer, Ngali Australia.

"I had the opportunity to hand paint one of Ngali's beautiful dresses and it was selected as the opening dress for a special runway at the 2022 Melbourne Fashion Week," Ms Peters said.

"I sometimes think oh my god, you know BJ, this is stuff that we've been doing, that we love so much.

"I'm finally… we're finally… doing it you know, and I hope that you're here in spirit to see that I didn't give up on that. I didn't give up on that dream."

Ms Peters said the twin connection she held with BJ was so strong, that the afternoon before he passed, she had an overwhelming feeling to go and check on him.

Arriving at his house she was filled with anxiety.

"My heart is like, racing a million miles an hour," she said.

She said when BJ opened the door that afternoon, she was flooded with relief.

"All I could do was cry," she said.

She embraced him in the biggest hug whilst saying, "I just felt like I'd lost you or something".

That day her twin brother comforted her and said, "Oh no, you know I'm right my twin, I'm fine. I'm just at home".

Ms Peters cried as she recounted her last moment with her brother.

"The last thing that I saw was him waving at the door, blowing me kisses, saying I love you," she said.

At three o'clock the next morning, Ms Peters received an earth shattering call to say that her twin brother had passed away.

Ms Peters said she was halfway through painting her first commissioned mural at the time and was overcome with grief and unable to continue painting.

"My twin brother used to do a lot of the painting with me, and it was really hard to paint without him. I guess after that it took me a little bit of a while to get back on my feet and paint again," she said.

She said the turning point came when she dreamed of him encouraging her to paint.

After promising that she would, she said "he just gave me this little smile and then that was a turning point for me to actually get up and finish that artwork."

The next day, Ms Peters finished her mural. She was very quiet as she painted.

When she was done, she started packing up her tools and a giant orange butterfly appeared and started following her.

"As soon as I picked up that last paintbrush, it landed on the bottom… the butterfly landed on the paintbrush," she said.

"For me, it was sort of like a sign that I wasn't lost any more. And I knew that my twin brother was always with me."

Ms Peters continued to express her gratitude for family, having grown up in a large extended family.

She now raises six boys of her own and her twin brothers three sons. She also enjoys a close bond with her daughter in law.

"A lot of my artworks are based on the love for my family and personal experiences," she said.

"My biggest fan is my children who kept faith in me. I've always had this dream of becoming this artist since childhood and without their support it would not be possible for me to pursue my dream today."

Ms Peters said Black Label Dreaming (BLD) stands for; Believe in yourself, Live your dream and Dream big.

"I have faced several challenges on my way here, but each of them has only strengthened me and made me the person I am here today," she said.

But I feel like my journey is only just beginning

"Lightning will hit you know, there's going to be great opportunities, just don't give up on yourself."

For anyone considering a career in fashion Ms Peters reflected on her studies and the opportunities that have presented by simply immersing herself in the industry.

"I recommend anyone who wants to get in that industry to definitely get involved. You just learn so much," she said.

Details for the launch of Blak Label Dreaming and the inaugural Canberra Indigenous Fashion Show will be shared soon.