Beyoncé sports gown from Irish designer Michael Stewart

by Sarah Gill
21st Feb 2024

Yes, the Beyoncé Knowles-Carter wears a royal blue gown designed by none other than Clare native, Michael Stewart of Standing Ground.

A man whose gowns have been worn by Christina Aguilera, Salma Hayek, Florence Pugh and Naomi Campbell in recent months, Michael Stewart’s designs have just reached a new realm of notoriety thanks to a little someone named Beyoncé.

If you hadn’t already heard, the genre-spanning musician is stepping into a new era with the release of the chart-topping country hit ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ and ‘16 Carriages’. Announcing the second album in her Renaissance trilogy at the 58th Super Bowl, all eyes are firmly planted on Beyoncé in the run up to its release on 29 March.

Because Beyoncé is Beyoncé, and therefore does not require sleep like us mere mortals, she’s also just founded a hair care line, Cécred, which has been a lifelong dream from a childhood spent sweeping the floors at her mother’s salon. In a longform profile for ESSENCE magazine’s March/April cover, the star at the pinnacle of her career talks about building a legacy and uniting the personal with the professional.

The best part? She’s photographed in designs by none other than Clare native Michael Stewart, of Standing Ground.

Following an impulse from rural Ireland to Limerick School of Art & Design and further onto the Royal College of Art, Stewart’s designs are characterised by clean lines and draping fabric that contour and emphasise the shape of those who wear the garments. The silhouettes are instantly striking, and have a bespoke quality that make them the perfect choice for tailor-made red-carpet looks.

From Salma Hayek at the Toronto Film Festival and Florence Pugh at the DUNE Mexico City fan event, to Naomi Campbell for British Vogue, Michael Stewart has the all important A-list seal of approval well and truly in the bag. His designs were even taken all the way to the 2023 Met Gala by Dutch model Imaan Hammam.

Established in 2022, Standing Ground’s practice is informed by the specificity of the body where draping, sculpting and craft techniques respond to the individual form. Original pieces with a timeless quality, it may seem that the brand’s rise to this level of notoriety came overnight, but Stewart spent over a decade with his gaze set down and forward, learning and refining his skills to get to the level he’s at.

Stewart’s SS24 collection marks his third and last as part of Fashion East’s talent-incubator programme, a non-profit scheme that has also given the likes of Simone Rocha, JW Anderson and Robyn Lynch footing at London Fashion Week. Pulling from deadstock materials, these designs are engineered to hug the body here, and fall across it there to create a breathtaking impression that is nothing short of awe inspiring.

Featured image via @standing_ground_ on Instagram