Lillardia Briggs-Houston was awarded Fashion Designer of the Year at the National Indigenous Fashion Awards

Ms Briggs-Houston, a Narrandera woman, said that it had been a 'conflict of emotions' from elation to exhaustion.

"It's really lovely to have the privilege of getting an award like that. It's been a beautiful and full-on experience ... I'm very exhausted but also very proud," she said.

"It's really overwhelming when you look at all the amazing designers that are around Australia."

She attributed the win to her values and effort in preserving cultural heritage in her works.

"I'm quite mindful of ethical and sustainable practices within my work, and also highlighting South-East Aboriginal culture. I'm very true to my country and my family in how I express my work so I think really embedding that cultural sustainability into my work has given me a bit of an edge."

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She added that opportunities in arts and fashion were especially rare once you get west of Wagga, and hoped to leverage the win to further promote the region within the industry.

"We don't have a huge amount of opportunity and access, particularly to fashion and arts so highlighting successes in what we can actually do in regional communities is so important," she explained.

"I always felt it was out of reach, it's really nice to be able to stick to my guns and be recognised for the dedication I've put into growing my label and my work as a designer."

Part of that promotion will be through the mentorship with fashion label Country Road, and she said that she was looking forward to learning more about business from them - after years of running her business as a one-woman team.

Ms Briggs-Houston thanked her family and friends for their support, but added an extra special thank you to Aanya Whitehead and Western Riverina Arts.

"A really strong support system has been Western Riverina Arts, especially Aanya. She always goes above and beyond to support me in every way possible ... Especially as a regional arts organisation, they've been fundamental in the growth of myself as a designer and artist but also my label."

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