Here's everything we learned at Ireland’s first Fashion Week
Holly Warren: "Rashhiiid delivered the week’s most dramatic turn. Her three-movement show, I Survived Myself, served as a meditation on struggle, strength, and survival." Picture: Evan Doherty.
Ireland’s inaugural fashion week signaled a new era for the industry. Over five days, shows, talks and exhibitions were staged across the country, drawing buyers, editors, and fashion enthusiasts.
The programme gave space to emerging designers alongside established names, each showing collections with clarity and intent.
From sport-inspired streetwear to sculptural gowns and theatrical storytelling, the collections revealed an Irish fashion scene that is diverse, ambitious and ready to take up space on the international stage.
The week opened with Bold Golf, a brand that gave traditional sportswear an edge. Classic golf references were reimagined into looks that felt stylistically suited to both the street and the fairway. Burgundy, navy, black and green dominated, with balloon-cut trousers and plaid socks offering a modern interpretation on traditional sportswear.
Golf bags appeared as part of the styling, underscoring the label’s commitment to its theme. A standout look featured those voluminous trousers paired with tailored layers, proving Bold Golf’s talent for turning uniform into attitude.
In contrast to the direct play on sporting codes, Aoife McNamara’s show leaned into romance and responsibility. Her collection explored contrasts, moving from structured tailoring to soft draping.
Long coats with oversized buttons, puff-sleeved dresses in muted shades and tailored jackets in earthy checks formed the backbone of the line. A mint satin gown with opera gloves drew audible reactions from the audience, while a fuchsia mini dress styled over a sheer green blouse showed her instinct for bold colour.
Heritage-style caps added a distinctly Irish touch, while her focus on sustainable fabrics grounded the collection with purpose. McNamara reminds the audience that responsibility and drama can work hand in hand.
Sasha Donnellan struck a quieter, but equally commanding note. Ivory and cream dominated, and strength came not from embellishment but from cut: corseted bodices, cut-away waists, and ruched panels that shaped the body.
Plaid capes and heavy knits introduced depth, with a cream Aran sweater featuring a claddagh print became one of the defining looks.
It was a measured, precise reminder that tradition can be reworked with clarity and modernity.
Donnellan’s work carried a sense of restraint, and it signalled a designer finding her voice with precision.
Rashhiiid delivered the week’s most dramatic turn. Her three-movement show, I Survived Myself, served as a meditation on struggle, strength, and survival.
The opening delivered rawness and rupture: distressed layers, deconstructed hoods, and twisted silhouettes walked under red light, evoking a sense of survival in its most primal form.
Rashhiiid’s signature use of fur punctuated every section, from dramatic cuffs and oversized hoods to sweeping trims, even extending to a dog whose own fur was dyed in patchwork to reflect the collection’s identity.
The second movement transitioned into a more tactile exploration of identity. Models appeared in bold prints, sported kink-inspired accessories, and bore the words, “I survived myself.”
Sheer, tattoo-like bodysuits revealed the body as both canvas and armour, while harness details and sculptural chokers heightened the kink undertone, pushing the looks into confrontational territory.
By the final act, the energy shifted again. A floral sheer gown topped with a fur hood hinted at delicacy through strength, before the closing tableau brought the audience to silence: a woman dragging a man behind her on a fur leash. It was presented as a tribute to Veronica Guerin and Nikita Hand, a stark and unsettling image that captured the weight of violence, survival, and strength.
Rashhiiid’s work was unapologetically personal, using clothing as both protection and proclamation. It showed how fashion can carry stories of trauma onto the runway, creating space for reflection as well as spectacle.
Heritage took centre stage with The Irish Roots Show, featuring nine designers: Triona, Ireland’s Eye, Avoca, Jack Murphy, Magee 1866, Amy Frankie Moroney, Helen Steele, Louis Copeland and Mary O’Sullivan.
It paid homage to Irish craft, tradition and identity, weaving together the stories of the past with the creativity and innovation shaping the future.
Across the runway, there was a palpable celebration of Irish design; tweeds and checks appeared in long coats and tailored suiting, while chunky knits were reimagined as sculptural sleeveless tops, and toile-print gowns evoked a rich sense of folklore.
A kaleidoscopic asymmetrical dress injected riotous colour, offset by wide-legged trousers and oversized outerwear that spoke to a more contemporary ease.
Moments of theatre punctuated the evening too, from a model crowned with a woolly headpiece evoking the Irish landscape to jewel-coloured silks that swept with drama. Seen together, the showcase highlighted how Irish fashion can embrace lineage with pride, while reworking it in ways that feel dynamic and utterly current.
The week is not finished yet. Two final shows remain, with the Irish Sea - Graduate Show set to spotlight the next wave of talent, and Paul Costelloe preparing to close the schedule with a name that has carried Irish design onto the international stage for decades.
Yet even before the curtain falls. Ireland’s first fashion week has already marked itself as a milestone. What began as an ambitious experiment has unfolded into a declaration of emerging curiosity, but a force rooted in heritage, confident in its own voice, and alive with imagination.
The collections revealed a willingness to experiment and a refusal to be boxed in, moving fluidly from craft to couture, from folklore to futurism. This first edition has shown that Irish fashion is ready to command attention, not only at home but across global runways.
It is not waiting to be discovered; it is stepping forward, certain of its place, determined to make itself heard beyond these shores.
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