Mia - Sydney Bootblack 2025

05/08/2026

Thank you WAQK Women and Qu**rs of Kink for having me 🖤

31/07/2026

That’s a wrap on the 2026 Sydney Leather Titles, and my title year as Sydney Bootblack 2025 🖤✨

On reflection, I found exactly what I was looking for when I nervously entered the competition a year ago: opportunities to develop my skills, serve the community, build deeper connections, raise funds for my chosen charity, and inspire others to pick up a brush.

Thanks to the generosity of everyone who sat in my chair this year or supported the Flash Ya Sash fundraiser, we raised over $3000 for Full Stop Australia’s Rainbow Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Helpline. We also raised awareness of this important service, so that anyone in the LGBTQ+ community who suffers violence knows that support is available.

For now, I have stepped aside with a sense of purpose: to support, encourage and mentor aspiring and developing bootblacks, in anticipation of the day I have the honour of placing the sash on the shoulders of the next Sydney Bootblack.

To Liv, Nova, Jaime, Joey, Roar and Riley: thank you for having the courage to put yourselves forward and represent our community so beautifully. It’s never easy to bare your soul on stage. Each of you did it with incredible skill, creativity, vulnerability and heart. I can’t wait to see what our new 2026 Titleholders accomplish.

I couldn’t have asked for better sash siblings to go on this journey with: Margo, Luis and Zed: watching each of you pour yourselves into the community and leave such meaningful legacies has been an absolute joy.

Thank you to Dick Savvy & HAUS Of SAVVY Events WAQK Women and Qu**rs of Kink DOB Sydney Events Butch Club Studio Kink Sydney and Sydney Leather Men Inc. for providing opportunities to showcase the craft of bootblacking.

Thank you to Sydney Bootblack 2023 - Jon Nguyen and Min Brown for inspiring me, supporting me, sharing knowledge and guidance, and paving the way for local bootblacks to shine.

It’s been an honour, a privilege, and most of all a pleasure to be your Sydney Bootblack 2025. 🖤

📸
🎥

31/07/2026

This Sunday!!

WAQK is incredibly excited to work with the talented 2025 Sydney Bootblack Mia for our next assembly!

Have you ever been curious about bootblacking or want to learn how to better care for your leather?

In this beginner-friendly workshop, Bootblack Mia will cover the basics of cleaning, conditioning, and polishing leather, along with practical tips for bootblacking as an act of service, care, and connection within the leather community 🖤

Mia will walk through a simple leather care routine, discuss different products and tools, and talk about bootblacking etiquette, whether you’re caring for your own gear, or working a stand.

Participants are encouraged to bring a leather piece (boots, belts, jackets, etc.) to practice on during the workshop 🧥👞

🖤Sunday, 2nd of August
🖤3PM - 6:30PM
🖤ACON Office, Surry Hills (Classrooms 3.07 to 3.09, Level 3)

Tickets are limited and are known to sell out quickly for workshops like these, so make sure you get in quick!
╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ https://tinyurl.com/mtspp2a9

And don't forget that a WAQK membership gets you a discount on all WAQK event tickets! You can sign up quick 'n' easy right here:
╰┈➤ˎˊ˗https://waqk-au.com/membership

✨VENUE NOTES: We're very thankful to ACON for allowing us to use their space! We ask that all attendees do not smoke or drink alcohol while in the premises.

Elevator access is available to the level of the building that we are meeting on ✨

💡WAQK assemblies are for people whose gender is, or has been, aligned with womanhood or female identity.
We welcome cis women, non-binary, gender-diverse, and trans people with lived or past connection to those experiences, including those exploring.

✨https://www.facebook.com/share/17yusdW1ub/✨

Mia - Sydney Bootblack 2025 ACON

31/07/2026

QNews LGBTIQA+ News

27/07/2026

27/07/2026

🌟THIS WEEKEND!!! 🌟

Got a leather jacket that's in desperate need of clean up? Some boots waiting for a moment to shine? Maybe a harness that could do with a little TLC?

We'll luckily for you, we've got an assembly for that!

We're teaming up with the amazing 2025 Sydney Bootblack Mia for the ultimate bootblacking and leather care workshop .✦ ݁˖ We're so grateful to be able to pick Mia's brain for leather knowledge and really see her in her element!

We highly recommend bringing a leather piece to work on during the workshop so that you can work on some practical skills 💪🛠️

🖤Sunday, 2nd of August
🖤3PM - 6:30PM
🖤ACON Office, Surry Hills (Classrooms 3.07 to 3.09, Level 3)

Tickets are limited and are known to sell out quickly for workshops like these, so make sure you get in quick!
╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ https://tinyurl.com/mtspp2a9

And don't forget that a WAQK membership gets you a discount on all WAQK event tickets! You can sign up quick 'n' easy right here:
╰┈➤ˎˊ˗https://waqk-au.com/membership

✨VENUE NOTES: We're very thankful to ACON for allowing us to use their space! We ask that all attendees do not smoke or drink alcohol while in the premises.
Elevator access is available to the level of the building that we are meeting on ✨

💡WAQK assemblies are for people whose gender is, or has been, aligned with womanhood or female identity.
We welcome cis women, non-binary, gender-diverse, and trans people with lived or past connection to those experiences, including those exploring. See less

🛠️ https://www.facebook.com/share/185zxCu9mS/ 🛠️
Mia - Sydney Bootblack 2025

26/07/2026

🖤💙🤍❤️

23/07/2026

What a way to kick off Sydney Leather Weekend: surrounded by community, art, and excitement for the competition this Saturday 🖤💗

Leather Endures - Fe**sh Art Show – What a Night.
Event wrap up.

Last night's opening of Leather Endures – Fe**sh Art Show was everything we hoped it would be, and more.

With around 170 people coming through the doors, Studio Kink was filled with conversation, laughter, reconnections, new introductions and a genuine celebration of leather, fe**sh and B**M culture.

The exhibition showcased an outstanding collection of work from our talented local and international artists. The diversity of styles, mediums and perspectives on display reminded everyone that our community is rich not only in history, but in creativity, expression and lived experience. Having so many of the artists present to talk about their work made the evening even more special.

It was wonderful to see this year's Sydney Leather Titles contestants sharing the space with judges, titleholders, interstate visitors and members of the wider community. Before a single sash is awarded, weekends like this remind us that the Titles are about far more than a competition—they're about bringing people together.

Our Sh***ri performance added another memorable moment to the evening, and it was fantastic to see so many people gathered together to experience it.

We're also thrilled that a number of artworks found new homes throughout the night, supporting both the artists and the continued growth of fe**sh art within our community.

To every artist who trusted us with their work, every volunteer who helped make the evening possible, everyone who attended, and everyone who continues to support creative expression within our leather, fe**sh and kink communities—thank you.

Leather Endures was more than an art exhibition.

It was a reminder that our community continues to create, continues to support one another, and continues to endure.

See you throughout Sydney Leather Titles Weekend.

— Mark De Viate

21/07/2026

QNews LGBTIQA+ News

28/04/2026

I had these limited edition pins made to commemorate my title year as Sydney Bootblack 2025 🖤

Based on the design .art created for the 2025 Bootblack Competition, they feature the harness and o-ring motif in shiny chrome and black enamel details.

Please DM if you would like one! $10 + shipping (or you can collect one from me at an event)

Thanks for the pics 📸