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Independent brick-and-mortar boutiques will continue to downsize as fast fashion and cheap e-commerce retailers gain momentum and popularity; this is a given. When an animal becomes extinct, the whole food chain is affected. Similarly, when an independent boutique closes, cities and towns across the country will lose more than just a retail space. But neither our high streets nor our wardrobes would be as beautiful or as interesting if it wasn’t for the kind of independent boutiques dotted around the country: from Kimono boutique in Cork and Hazel Comyn bridal in Kerry to the eclectic selection nestled around Dublin City.
In celebration of the people and places championing Irish design, a series of city-wide fashion and design events will take place tomorrow, and you’re invited.
The Get Up Fashion Trail is an evening of curated showcases and talks highlighting some of the leading fashion retailers that make up the fabric of Dublin city. The events kick off at 6pm on Thursday, November 8, and will take visitors around a selection of stores and spaces for exclusive launches, talks, workshops and parties. The initiative was created by a collective of designers and shop owners in Dublin City as a way to revive the public’s interest in buying and supporting Irish design. Events will take place in Scout in Temple Bar, Indigo&Cloth, Nine Crows, Atrium, Om Diva and Hen’s Teeth, and with gifting season approaching, there are plenty of reasons to support local designers, makers, doers and creators. Here’s what you need to know and where you need to be tomorrow evening.
6:30 pm – 7 pm: Founders of Atrium, Kate Nolan and Chupi Sweetman are hosting a Q&A session about ethical fashion and why the brands they stock are dedicated to a future of sustainable style.
6 pm – 9 pm: Owner Ruth Ni Loinsigh will launch Om Diva’s new Irish designer collections for AW18, as well as their new in-house homeware range.
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Apassionata’s Ruth Monahan will be giving a talk on the different types of house-plants and how to look after them.
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Silversmith Janice Byrne will demonstrate an intimate masterclass behind the making of a silver ring from start to finish
6 pm – 9 pm: Liadain Aiken will be in store for the evening to chat about her knitwear brand and will hold a darning workshop, showing people how to mend their knitwear or embellish it.
6 pm – 9 pm: Sculptors Daire O’Shea will be working in close collaboration with the team at Indigo & Cloth to create their AW18 window display. Daire has created a display structure built in opposition to the garments – the central focus of this structure is to display fabrics under duress, thus bringing to the fore the technical abilities of the garment shown. Daire will be in-store on the night to discuss the installation.
7 pm – 7:30 pm: The Tweed Project create handmade, one-off pieces that combine beautiful Irish fabrics with modern tailoring for a truly authentic expression of Irish design. They will also be in-store to present their latest collection.
6 pm – 9 pm: Michael McDermott of Totally Dublin will be interviewing Emma Fraser and Dean Ryan McDaid of Ireland’s leading modelling agency Not Another.
6 pm – 9:30 pm: Hen’s Teeth launch the first in a series of in-house capsule collections. Dip the beak in for a Disaronno sour and a first look at the debut range by Hen’s Teeth lead designer Mel Keane.