by Grace Barton
How Irish Design and Youth Were Celebrated at Irish Fashion Week
My first experience with the real-world fashion industry was at the Irish Sea Graduate show for Irish Fashion Week. It was a whirlwind that went by so fast (no, really, it only lasted 30 minutes.)
I arrived at the Marker Hotel, with the view of the red light sticks outside the Bord Gais greeting me. Immediately identified every single other attendee due to their unmistakable outfits. While Dublin can be a stylish city, I’ve never seen such a concentration of well-dressed people in my life. From sleek styles with slickbacks and tailored lines, to accessorised spectacles of outfits, which induced envy due to my own wardrobe’s lack of variety. Alongside these displays of styling skill, there were many pairs of parents present who were well dressed in their own right. As the designers are still quite young, it was heartwarming to see the hugs and waves exchanged between these younger, enthusiastic students and their proud parents, who were just as enthusiastic to see what their children had been working so hard on.
As the event began, we sat down and settled ourselves in, anticipating. When the lights changed and the music began, the crowd hushed, and we focused on the runway.
The models themselves didn’t take long to complete their walks, as there were only 40 designs to display. Each piece felt unique and emblematic of the traditional Irish designs we have been frequently seeing as of late, one even including an embroidered design of a claddagh heart with a crown atop. Although the designs themselves were unique, there was a variety of repeated aspects throughout the whole show that carried through multiple outfits.
Some of my favourite designs were the ones that resembled knitted pieces; whether they were extremely intricately crafted or intentionally distressed, none of them failed to impress me. Textiles made of wool also undeniably relate to Irish culture and the strong and everlasting reliance we have on our country’s farmers. There was also a recurring motif of rope throughout the different designers’ work. The theme being ‘Irish Sea’ encouraged designers to explore our relationship with the sea on this island and discover the strong connection to fishing that it has with its citizens. Fishing has prevailed through centuries of towns and businesses, not only as a food source but also as a way of living. Fishing rope or nets were clearly a popular aspect to draw inspiration from in this show.
Some of my personal favourite designs from the show reflected these aspects in their construction. Beginning with Sophie Brunkard’s design, she used texture and varying patterns to create a stunning, deep blue garment. This piece stood out to me in particular, as I was drawn to the resemblance of the fabric’s texture to the surface of the sea. In combination with its colour, this garment creates a strong visual image of our ocean, and the choice of fabric brings it closer to home with its natural feel.
Many of the other designs in the show caught my eye, including Emer Glendon Burke’s, with her use of ropes and draping. Áine Elizabeth’s baby blue satin garment that resembles a jellyfish with a strong silhouette and structure, and April Lilly’s use of texture (can you tell I’m a fan of utilizing texture in designs) to create a structured yet somehow natural-looking piece.
There being 40 designers, it’s impossible to mention them all; there were many impressive and well put-together designs on display. I would definitely recommend heading to the site to check out the Instagrams of all of these emerging young designers and glance at their current and past projects. Also, check out and engage in any upcoming Irish fashion events to encourage and entice more brands and companies to work with Irish designers and to uplift our work. Irish fashion is an emerging industry, and it’s important that we support its development. While Ashley McDonnell clearly did an excellent job at creating IFW from scratch, bringing designers together from across the country, and an influx of fashion content creators to pay attention to our work, that doesn’t mean we ourselves cannot also contribute. Irish youths are the way forward for fashion in our little country, and this show displayed just that.
