Torres Strait woman combining culture and vintage glam

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Torres Strait woman combining culture and vintage glam

Temanu O’Brien-Schmidt grew up watching old Hollywood glamour on screen.

Entering the pin-up scene was an obvious move for the Torres Strait Islander woman, drawing inspiration not just from these old films but her great-grandmother and her mum.

In 2017, O’Brien-Schmidt’s mother and biggest fashion influence was a finalist in ****** Rocks On, one of the biggest pin-up pageants in the country.

“After she was able to be part of the pageant, I would go back every year and support the ladies and just dream that, that could be me one day on that stage,” the now-22-year-old told AAP.

In 2025, those dreams are reality for O’Brien-Schmidt, who is one of 12 finalists at the Gold Coast-based event which celebrates all things vintage.

Being chosen for the finals out of hundreds of applicants across the country is at once nerve-wracking and exciting.

“The stakes are high now,” she said.

“I’m glad that I get to enjoy this experience.”

But O’Brien-Schmidt said she’ll also be using the pageant as an opportunity to represent her Torres Strait and Japanese heritage.

“It’s bringing that vintage glamour theme but also tying in my background at the same time,” she said.

She’ll be using a shell instrument in a traditional Torres Strait dance for the talent section of the competition and is making a zazi grass skirt to wear in the pageant.

“It’s taken its time to make,” she said.

“Drying out the grass, weaving it strand by strand, it did take a bit to make but it’s all coming together and it’s going to bring the outfit to life.”

O’Brien-Schmidt is hoping to take out one of the top prizes at ****** and take her pin-up onto the global stage, with competitions like the Queen of the Car Show pageant in Las Vegas.

But no matter what the result is in Coolangatta, O-Brien-Schmidt said she simply loves doing pin-up and is looking forward to the thrill of the competition and the warmth of the community she’s found.

“Everyone in the pin-up community is super uplifting,” she said.

“No matter your age, race, background, everyone’s really supportive and I think that’s great.

“I have a lot of friends in the pin-up community so we all get to share the same passion.”

****** Rocks On runs from Wednesday until June 8.

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