The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre
An innovative multi-arts hub in the heart of Blacktown City.
Get comfy for our new series titled Digital Stories to hear insights and stories from artists and locals who have a connection to Blacktown, and the surrounding areas.
In this episode of Digital Stories, join Thuy Nguyen of Western Sydney Fashion Festival and Iki Haangana of Public Island Society as they discuss how growing up in western Sydney can influence cultural fashion, the tension between streetwear and traditional clothing, and how fashion can build community.
Founded by Iki Haangana, an Australian-born Tongan fashion designer, Public Island Society started in Mt Druitt as a way of reimagining traditional and modern island wear through a contemporary lens. The fashion label fuses high fashion with streetwear to create a fearless blend of culture and couture that refuses to be ordinary.
Bio
Iki is a Tongan fashion designer from western Sydney. He is the founder and designer of the label Public Island Society.
This fashion brand blurs the lines of eveningwear, with the rebelliousness, and ease of streetwear while pulling influences from his Polynesian background. After winning Best Established PIR Designer at the Australian Modelling and Fashion Awards in 2020, he’s showcased his collections at Powerhouse Museum, Westfields, and even underwater at the Sydney Sea-Life Aquarium. In 2023 he was also flown to Papua New Guinea to showcase a capsule collection at the PNG Fashion and Design Week.
You can find Iki on Instagram here
Thuy Nguyen is a western Sydney based filmmaker and creative producer whose work explores social justice, diversity, and cultural identity. Her documentaries include ‘Ankara Pride’, part of the first-ever Blacktown Shorts Film Festival in 2019 and Against the Grain, produced for Diversity Arts Australia’s Diverse Screens Project.
As the founder of the Western Sydney Fashion Festival (WSFF), Thuy champions designers and artists from across western Sydney. Her films have screened at major festivals including the Melbourne Fashion Film Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Miami Fashion Film Festival, and Milan Fashion Film Festival, earning multiple nominations and awards, including Best Student Film at Made in the West.
You can find Thuy on Instagram here
Western Sydney Fashion Festival (WSFF) is a creative platform celebrating the fashion, culture, and creative voices of western Sydney. Established to showcase the region’s rich diversity and emerging design talent often overlooked by mainstream fashion spaces, WSFF champions local stories and style with authenticity and pride.
Over the past decade, WSFF has profiled designers from across western Sydney through runways, exhibitions, and storytelling projects, including collaborations with Blacktown Arts, Western Sydney University, and Fairfield City Museum & Gallery. From grassroots beginnings to sold-out shows, WSFF continues to amplify local talent and redefine what Australian fashion looks like, bold, diverse, and proudly western Sydney.
This project is presented by Blacktown Arts and supported by Blacktown City Council.
