ARAN TO ATELIER 

Irish fashion has come this far. Where do we go now?

by Ellen Corcoran

On Monday evening, in Grafton Street’s Bewleys Café, over 100 attendees gathered to kick off the third Dublin Independent Fashion Week. Imagine a room full of designers, teachers, editors, photographers, industry experts, journalists, students and so many other talented fashion professionals. Aran to Atelier was one of 30+ events to grace DIFW’s 2025 calendar. Victoria Brunton asked the important questions we’ve all been wondering, whilst Ciara Byrne, Deirdre McQuillan and Natalie B. Coleman had the answers. 

With a room full of individuals who are determined to change the fashion industry in this country, and the week ahead being filled with shows, pop-ups and exhibitions across the city, you would think that the Irish fashion industry would be getting the recognition it deserves by now. Irish fashion professionals have applied for funding from the arts council several times and have been denied on each occasion. Fashion design isn't currently officially recognised as an artistic discipline by the Arts Council of Ireland. At Monday night’s event, NCAD lecturer and fashion designer, Natalie B. Coleman, quotes the Arts Council’s response to Irish designers enquiring about funding - “We support the arts, but that does not include your industry”. Ireland’s fashion industry is one of the only in the EU that does not receive any support from its Arts Council, according to Ciara Byrne, formerly of Condé Nast and now on the board of the British Fashion Council. So it really is no suprise that so many fashion professionals leave Ireland, in search for recognition and support for their work.

An example of this, is Irish designer, Caoimhe Dowling. After moving to Copenhagen to study, she stayed put. When you’re receiving awards from the Danish government and given the support and funding you need to succeed, why would you return to a government that ignores your success and denies your requests?

But why doesn’t the government take Irish fashion seriously? “I think it’s due to a lack of comprehension. We need to move away from narrative and give them numbers” explains Ciara Byrne. Ciara is on the board of the British Fashion Council. On Monday, she spoke about the economic impact of the fashion industry in the UK and how important those facts and figures are to the British government when providing the fashion industry with funding. However, the same amount of research hasn’t yet been done in Ireland, to prove the economic impact of the Irish fashion industry. Unfortunately, without the facts and figures in front of them, the government and Arts Council will not change their ways, leaving Irish fashion to fend for itself for the forseeable.

But things are changing in Ireland at the moment and we’re seeing a shift in the attitude people have towards Irish fashion. With a sort of cultural revival happening at the moment amongst younger generations, we’re finally seeing Irish fashion being included in the conversation. It is times like this that an event such as DIFW is more important than ever. We can compare, contrast and take inspiration from other cities who have shaped the fashion industry, but the Irish fashion scene is unique. “We don’t need to copy anyone else, we’re creating something that works for us” explains Natalie B. Coleman. Dublin Independent Fashion Week is providing a space for Irish creatives to connect, network and showcase. Yet the Irish government still sees this community as a waste of investment.

Whilst things start to take off here in Dublin for creatives who have chosen to stay in Ireland, designers who have moved away to study and work abroad are now in some of the biggest positions in the fashion industry. The main one to mention is of course, Jonathan Anderson, now creative director of Dior. An Irish designer being in one of fashion’s biggest roles proves that “Ireland isn’t just joining in on the fashion conversation, it’s leading it” according to Natalie B. Coleman. The likes of Simone Rocha with massive shows at London Fashion Week each year and Roisin Pierce at Paris Fashion Week shows the strong Irish influence abroad. But this isn’t anything new, Fashion Editor of The Irish Times, Deirdre McQuillan, tells tales of Christian Dior’s visits to Ireland in the 50’s and big fashion house directors coming to Ireland in the decades that followed, to take inspiration from Irish craftmanship and materials such as Donegal tweed and Irish linen. This proves the talent is there, we can see it, but now, we’re watching from afar, as designers have left Ireland to recieve the support and treatment they deserve, elsewhere.

So we’ve started the conversation, now we need to continue and sustain it. Attending events like DIFW, and supporting the designers and industry professionals who are working so hard to build something special here in Ireland, is a really good start. As the Irish fashion industry grows and we look to the future of the fashion scene in this country, it is important to remember just how we got from Aran to Atelier. You can keep up to date with DIFW events online at dublin-ifw.com. 

Special thanks to @victoria_brunton_

@fiche_magazine