Paris Couture Fashion Week 2025 was introduced to the name Grace Lillian Lee, etching herself onto the scene - the Meriam Mer woman will be hard to forget, having garnered the attention of friend and former collaborator Jean Paul Gaultier and head curator of the Anna Wintour Costume Centre at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Andrew Bolton.

Debuting 'The Guardians' at 229LAB in the Marais district of Paris during the fashion world's weeks of weeks and, coincidentally, NAIDOC Week, Lee became the first Indigenous designer to independently showcase a collection.

Guided by her ancestors, the journey from Cairns to Paris was one rooted in self-determination and paying homage to her lineage of guardians that stood before her.

"I think that we belong here," Lee told Style Up.

"It's been a very intentional journey to push our culture to the limits and have the work shown on such a global platform.

"I think the purpose of us being here was not only to share my culture

and my stories but to also share that opportunity to have more representation here at Couture Fashion Week."

In the lead-up to her show, the designer embodied composure, remained down to earth and got it done - all without breaking a sweat.

Joining Lee was a dedicated team of friends and family who were in Paris to share in the historic experience. Among them, Kuku Yalanji, Djabugay, Munaldjali, Butchulla and Meriam man Luke Currie-Richardson showcased his talents by representing the Dream Weaver, with a breathtaking performance; inviting the audience to open their hearts and minds.

"My process kind of is about embodying story, embodying, I guess you'd say, cultural aspects that I've been blessed to learn while infusing those with my contemporary dance styles," Currie-Richardson shared with Style Up.

Lee's latest collection is an expansion of her solo exhibition, 'The Dream Weaver: Guardians of Grace', which was recently acquired by the Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art.

"The Dream Weaver to me is this continuous celebration of culture and that we continue to dream and create these stories and allow our culture to live on and be strong," she reflected.

"So it was really important to have that essence of the Dream Weaver, like a spirit that was moving through this space and to prepare everyone for what was about to happen.

"My work is a little bit ethereal and a bit of an escape, like to create these sculptures that aren't worn by anybody, but they embody an idea of a body."

Worrorra woman Dr Vinka Buranga and Gangalidda woman Mayarr Yanner also partook in the milestone moment.

Dr Buranga, who originally planned on joining her husband, Currie-Richardson, to support him, was asked to model one of Lee's exquisite garments.

"I thought, why not?" Dr Buranga told Style Up before the show.

"When am I ever going to get the opportunity to do this again? From a little country town in northern West Australia, but also being a doctor - it's not in my repertoire, if you will - so I thought, why not?"

Yanner, who hails from the Moungibi, works at the local Burketown State School as a Partnership Initiative Officer and Language Teacher.

Passionate about empowering youth through education and culture, she was inspired to use her moment in the spotlight to show her students that you can do anything.

"It's so important to see our culture displayed in places it would otherwise be invisible," Yanner said.

"There's no space that our Mob don't belong."

A love letter to those who walked before her, Lee explained that 'The Guardians' allows her "to stand here today".

Blending art, fashion, ritual and ancestral storytelling, the garments feature intricate handwoven techniques, striking laser-cut acrylic beadwork and sculptural silhouettes.

Lee shared how her work is a powerful fusion of tradition and innovation - where art, culture, and fashion seamlessly intertwine to honour her Torres Strait Islander, Chinese and European heritage while pushing creative boundaries and carrying this forward through her contemporary, couture designs.

"For me, art, culture, and fashion are not separate - they move together. I translate my artworks into wearable forms, carrying forward the stories, symbols, and motifs embedded within them," she said.

While the experience was impossible to encapsulate into words - Lee emphasised the significance of her debut, which also marked the start of her residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts.

"It's incredible to see all of us Mob here, celebrating ourselves, enjoying the beauty of Paris, but also understanding the importance of that resilience of liberty that we are experiencing and sharing," she said.

"Being able to see people's response to the work and what we just shared with the world ... I am lost for words on how incredible that was."