Fashion forward: Innovate and create for success
After celebrating 10 years of spotlighting emerging Irish design, Shelly Corkery, the fashion director at Brown Thomas, considered the future.
CREATE, the annual showcase enters its second decade on Tuesday with the objective of pushing for progress, a guiding principle that forms the basis for the buzzy slogan behind this year’s event. As the pandemic recedes and ‘business as usual’ looks increasingly fruitful for businesses, Corkery and the wider buying teams came together months ago to ask ‘who’s next?’
Corkery said: "This year had to be something different because if you don’t reach out in different directions, it’ll end up being repetitive.”
The solution lies, as it always should, according to Corkery, in newness. For the 2021 instalment, 21 out of 33 participating designers appear for the first time. Across fashion, accessories, jewellery, and homeware, the lineup encapsulates the most promising names in the next crop of Irish design.
Following an intensive three-day interview process conducted over Zoom, designers are carefully handpicked to display their work on the first floor of the Dublin flagship for a period of six weeks.
Corkery admits that while Zoom complicated the process insofar as she was unable to feel the garments, she requested the participating designers to send samples of their work to the flagship store on Grafton Street when it reopened in May. At this level of high fashion, she notes, tactility is priceless. The proof of quality is woven into the fabric as much as it is in the brand identity.
While the pandemic has proved challenging for most, especially young designers, the cohort of talent in this year’s showcase are shining examples of resilience and triumphing in the face of adversity.
“In some ways, the past year has forced me to approach projects in a different way, and the results have been very positive,” said Fiona O’Neill, who showed at London Fashion Week earlier this year, counts Kendall Jenner as a supporter, and appears for the first time in the showcase.
O’Neill’s debut at CREATE will give shoppers an insight into her playful oeuvre which draws on surrealism and optical illusions.
From statement dresses to relaxed trousers, she experiments with screenprinting and hand-painting to give richly decorative clothing a sense of the hand who made them.
The breakout star of last year’s event Sorcha O'Raghallaigh has worked with Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and Madonna.
Lockdown has allowed her time to distil her ornate, extravagant vision to cater to commercial viability without flouting the more artful flourishes that define her work.
“Although it’s been a challenging year I have really appreciated having more time to enjoy the overall process of designing and developing pieces.”
She returns with captivating dresses in emerald green and pink, embellished with feather embroidery and decorated with dashing mood-boosting prints. For Corkery, to have Ó’Raghallaigh participate again was a no-brainer, especially as shoppers begin to flock to more fanciful propositions.
For many Irish entrepreneurs, some of them on display in this year’s event, the pandemic fostered new beginnings. Many of the brands on show were born out of lockdown and the desire to bring customers something that respects their needs while also trying to lift their spirits.
At CREATE, one can find Basic Juju’s hand-dyed hoodies with hand-embroidered positive messages, or Tidings, the brainchild of pedigree designer Niamh Gillespie, which imagines luxurious hand-rolled Italian silk scarves.
“Covid-19 has been a moment in time that the world will never forget however it does have some silver linings,” said Johanna Dooley, the founder of ToDyeFor by Johanna, who founded her brand during the first lockdown.
“As the world stood still I was able to take the time to evaluate what impact I wanted to make in the world.”
Another lockdown upstart comes in the form of To Dye For By Johanna.
The idea, she said, was to create a clothing brand that invokes a sense of joy and happiness in the wear by “adding colour to those grey days we all know too well in Ireland while continuing to take small steps in designing a better future".
Since its launch in 2020, Dooley’s tie-dye hoodies and accessories have captivated audiences far and wide including Irish entrepreneurs and influencers Rozanna Purcell and Niamh Cullen. Now, they will find a home in a coveted retail space.
For Gabriella Malone, starting her own label was never the plan. Originally, the recent National College of Art & Design graduate was looking for an internship at a fashion house but when everything closed last year she spent her time toiling away at design development which led to the creation of her collection. From roomy silhouettes to skilful Aran knit and a serene colour palette that evokes the Irish seaside, Malone is certifiably one to watch.Read more at:grey formal dresses | Formaldress au