From Pigeon Ponds to the runway: First Nations fashion collaboration hits Melbourne catwalk

A collaboration between a First Nations artist and a Victorian farmer has produced a collection of garments inspired by Country that has made its way from an isolated farmhouse to one of the country’s best-known fashion events.

Warrnambool-based artist Sherry Johnstone (a Keerray Woorroong and Yorta Yorta woman) partnered with Pigeon Ponds farmer Sue McClure after McClure decided she did not want to use Indigenous designs found online without permission. The two women began working together in far-western Victoria, combining Johnstone’s artwork and storytelling with McClure’s textile production skills to create knitwear and bespoke pieces.

The collaboration ultimately saw Johnstone’s designs appear on the Beyond Blak Runway at the Melbourne Fashion Festival, which showcases collections from a cohort of First Nations designers and artisans. Festival organisers have promoted the runway as a celebration of fashion, culture and storytelling, with Johnstone’s label Flash1A listed among the featured designers.

McClure said the partnership grew from seeing the quality of Johnstone’s work up close. “She’s a beautiful artist and she does amazing stuff” she said.

The project has involved more than artistic sketches and fabric samples. McClure invested in industrial knitting technology, including a large Japanese-made machine capable of producing full garments or knitted fabric panels. The pair also engaged specialist support to translate Johnstone’s designs into digital knitting patterns, a process that required sampling, adjustment and months of work to meet runway deadlines.

Johnstone said the pressure of turning designs into finished garments was real – especially given the scale of the work required. “Poor Sue had a bit of pressure on her to actually create the designs for me” she said.

The partnership first took shape through blankets and scarves, before expanding into runway-ready outfits and a formal lookbook submission to the festival. The women also had to navigate last-minute setbacks, including a power outage on the farm just before garments were due to be delivered to Melbourne.

Both women have described their work as grounded in respect for Country and in an approach to production that values collaboration and consent. The story has resonated beyond the fashion industry, highlighting the opportunities that can emerge when regional skills, cultural authority and ethical creative practice are brought together – on First Nations terms.