A major new exhibition coming to Fed Square will put contemporary First Peoples fashion and textiles firmly in the spotlight. Treading Lightly, presented by the Koorie Heritage Trust, brings together more than 38 garments, textile works and accessories by seven Victorian-based First Peoples artists and designers.
Running from Saturday 7 March to Sunday 17 May 2026, the exhibition marks the fifth iteration of KHT’s Blak Design program, a nationally unique initiative supporting First Peoples creativity through mentoring and studio-based learning at RMIT University’s School of Fashion and Textiles.
The works on display offer a layered view of fashion as cultural practice. Hand-dyed garments, plant-based textiles, possum-skin pieces, woven elements, repurposed materials and 3D-printed accessories sit side by side, each embedded with personal stories, cultural memory and deep connections to Country. Together, they speak to continuity and innovation, honouring lineage while engaging confidently with the present.
This year’s Blak Design cohort includes Vicki Burgess, Kylie Colemane, Bianca Easton, Clinton Hayden, Jasmine-Skye Marinos, Luke Morgan and Megan Paine, all bringing distinct backgrounds and approaches to the program. Guidance from mentors including Dr Christian Thompson AO, Kate Reynolds and Yashna Seethiah helped shape the final works while allowing individual voices to remain central.
‘Blak Design was really expansive. It was set out to support everyone and their individual needs, but also for us to all come together to be inspired by each other,’ says Megan Paine.
Sustainability runs throughout the exhibition, framed not as a trend but as custodial responsibility. As Dr Christian Thompson AO reflects, ‘… these works form a chorus of practices grounded in Country, memory, and respect.’
A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition, documenting each designer’s journey in their own words.
Treading Lightly is showing at the Koorie Heritage Trust, Birrarung Building, Fed Square. More information is available at kht.org.au.
