Willie Weston and Blaklash Announce New Co-Ownership Model

Willie Weston and Blaklash Announce New Co-Ownership Model, Bringing First Nations Leadership Into One of Australia’s Most Respected Commercial Textile Brands

Amanda Hayman and Troy Casey of First Nations design studio Blaklash will join co-founders Jessica Booth and Laetitia Prunetti as co-owners of Willie Weston, uniting two leading design businesses to scale opportunities for First Nations artists across Australia.

NAARM (MELBOURNE), 16 JUNE 2026

Willie Weston, the commercial textile brand working exclusively with First Nations artists, today announced that Troy Casey and Amanda Hayman of First Nations design studio Blaklash will become co-owners of the business from June 2026.

Willie Weston co-founders Jessica Booth and Laetitia Prunetti will continue to lead the brand alongside Casey and Hayman. The partnership formally brings First Nations leadership into the brand and is intended to expand opportunities for First Nations artists across the architecture and design sector.

The new leadership team brings together a wealth of expertise and integrity, with both brands having cemented reputations for excellence, ethical practice and sophisticated design responses within their respective industries.

Booth said the conversations that led to the partnership had been years in the making. “We met Troy at an exhibition opening a couple of years ago and really hit it off. We struck up a long-distance friendship and spent time getting to know Amanda and [Associate Director] Erin [McDonald] as well. Initially, we all just admired each other’s work and contributions to the industry, but over time we began to talk about ways we might work together,” Booth said.

“We discussed various models, but in the end, it became clear that bringing Blaklash on board as co-owners of Willie Weston would really enable us to scale impact for artists by combining our skill sets and expertise, and take the business to the next level.”

Established in Naarm (Melbourne) in 2015, Willie Weston works exclusively with First Nations artists to create textiles, wall coverings and other products for commercial interiors.

Over the past decade, Booth and Prunetti have built ongoing, scalable income streams for artists and created genuine impact for families and communities across Australia, sourcing sophisticated and diverse artworks and translating them onto high-performance commercial substrates.

Prunetti said formally embedding First Nations leadership into the brand was the natural next step.

“We had been conscious for some time about the importance of bringing First Nations knowledge and voices into the business. We didn’t know initially what form that would take, and it was really important that we had the right people to do that with,” Prunetti said.

“We’ve always been strong believers in First Nations agency, and it was a natural progression for us to evolve Willie Weston in this way. It’s an amazing and important next step for the brand.”

Blaklash is a 100% First Nations-owned and operated multidisciplinary design consultancy working across architecture, place, public art and strategy. As First Nations designers, curators and placemakers, the team uses design as a vehicle for cultural, social and economic change, partnering with Traditional Custodians, communities and project teams to deliver Country-centred outcomes.

For Casey, the co-ownership model is fundamentally about creating impact for First Nations artists.

“Willie Weston and Blaklash share the same values; championing First Nations artists and communities, and creating economic impact as a result. One of the things we can bring to Willie Weston is the opportunity to collaborate with more artists in urban settings, alongside the incredible work the brand has already done with art centres around the country. That can only mean more opportunities for more artists.”

Hayman said the alignment between the two businesses will set the partnership up to deliver for artists in a way neither could alone.

“We’ve always been admirers of Willie Weston. They’re industry leaders in translating Aboriginal art onto textiles and interior design in such a subtle, sophisticated and contemporary way,” Hayman said.

“Together, we have the opportunity to create something really special: products that are beautiful, culturally grounded and commercially successful, while making sure that First Nations artists are at the centre of, and benefiting from, every step of the journey.”

The partnership closes a gap in the industry. Most commercial textile brands offering First Nations designs lack deep community engagement, and most cultural consultancies working with First Nations communities don’t have the product development capability to take designs to market at scale.

Willie Weston and Blaklash bridge that gap, combining strong community relationships, curatorial expertise and ethical artist partnerships with high-performance products that designers can confidently specify across commercial settings.

Willie Weston will continue to offer its existing collections, and the new team is currently developing a suite of designs to be released in the coming year. The partnership will also expand the brand’s capacity for regionally specific custom design responses and embed First Nations knowledge at a strategic level across the business.

For Casey, the measure of the partnership’s success will ultimately be felt by artists.

“Success looks like creating more impact and more economic opportunities for artists all across this country,” Casey said.

“Blaklash has always been a business that creates platforms for First Nations artists and communities to tell their stories their way, and this partnership with Willie Weston will increase the impact we can create for those artists and communities.”

About Willie Weston

Established in Naarm (Melbourne) in 2015 by two non-Indigenous art curators, Willie Weston works exclusively with Australian First Nations artists to create textiles, wallpapers and other products for commercial interiors.

With a focus on high performance products for commercial, government and education settings, Willie Weston offers indoor, outdoor and drapery fabrics, as well as wallcoverings able to withstand the toughest environments.

Working with architects, designers and private clients across the world, Willie Weston leads the charge in integrating First Nations art, design and storytelling into commercial interiors.

willieweston.com

About Blaklash

Blaklash is a 100% Aboriginal-owned and operated multidisciplinary design consultancy working across architecture, place, public art and strategy.

As First Nations designers, curators and placemakers, the team uses design as a vehicle for cultural, social and economic change. Every Blaklash project begins with Country and is strengthened by culture and community.

Partnering with Traditional Custodians, communities and project teams, the studio translates cultural knowledge into places and spaces that reflect identity, strengthen connection to Country and support lasting impact.

For more information about go to willieweston.com and  blaklash.com.au