A graduate fashion show by the ATU Fashion Design with Promotion programme served up a fresh pour of style statements yesterday in the unique setting of Kinnegar Brewery in Letterkenny.
From conscious crafts to craft beer, the show celebrated the talents of 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students on their journey to being the north west’s next top designers.
Catwalk looks included innovative projects focused on circular design and sustainability, including a new collaboration with Letterkenny Tidy Towns that challenged second year students to source fabric from the Good and New charity shop to turn into trousers and shorts.
Sustainable Design Projects in collaboration with Letterkenny Tidy Towns
Tapping into the university’s industry links, fourth year fashion students partnered with Donegal’s renowned fashion and textile houses to repurpose remnant fabrics into fresh contemporary designs. The projects were supported by McNutt of Donegal, Orla Vera, Magee 1866 and Molloy & Sons.
Among the third year student designs, themed on Blurred Reality, were mindful creations, some based on stories and myths. Some pieces celebrated gender inclusivity while other narratives explored topical issues such as violence against women.
Using everything from curtains to coffee beans and cotton canvas, the students’ creative ideas pushed the boundaries to tell their stories.
Leah Kelly’s Mirrorball Collection
Mickyjoe Towns with a model wearing the Birds do not Sing in Caves collection
The segment featured works by students Declan Kerrigan and Elizabete Klova, who are both studying on Erasmus in Paris at the LISAA School of Art & Design, but contributed to the exhibition before embarking on their creative expeditions.
Fourth-year students also presented collections drawing from incredibly eclectic sources. Inspirations ranged from Alicia Barr’s striking designs inspired by stained glass artwork to Emma McKinney’s patterns influenced by microscopic organisms.
Bray Zhang’s exploration of cultural tensions inspired his contemporary, precisely tailored Donegal tweed collection with fabric from Molloy & Sons.
Meanwhile, Anna Ní Mháirtín’s ‘Scavengers’ turned found fabrics into defiant dystopian Mad Max inspired streetwear. An emotion-fuelled collection by Hollie M Gallagher took Magee 1866 remnant fabric and taffeta to create physical safety bubbles for the wearer.
Hollie M Gallagher – Extended Boundaries
Awards presented on the evening went to:
- Letterkenny Tidy Towns Sustainable Design Project Award: Awarded to Natalia Mangan
- Level 7 Designer of the Year: Awarded to MickyJoe Towns, presented by Hannah McGuinness.
- McElhinney’s Stores Level 8 Designer of the Year: Awarded to Anna Ní Mháirtín, presented by Lynsey McGarrigle-Carlin.
- Donegal Local Enterprise Office Level 8 Enterprise Award: Awarded to Emma McKinney, presented by Sinead Milligan
- Innovation Award: Awarded to Hollie M Gallagher, presented by Caroline Kilkenny.
- McNutt of Donegal Sustainability Award: Awarded to Anna Ní Mháirtín, presented by Stacey McNutt.
ATU Fashion Graduate Showcase award winners (L-r) Natalia Manga, Hollie M Gallagher, MickyJoe Towns, Anna Ní Mháirtín and Emma McKinney with their models, pictured with BA Fashion with Promotion Lecturer Eilish Kennedy, Paul Hannigan, Head of College at Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Donegal, Lorna Ross, Head of Department, Design & Creative Media at ATU Donegal and Sharon Maxwell, BA Fashion with Promotion Lecturer.
ATU Donegal’s BA Fashion Design with Promotion programme continues to grow from strength to strength, empowering students to become creative leaders in the ever-evolving fashion industry. The undergraduate degree also has a one-year add-on Level 8 programme designed to allow students to specialise in a chosen area of Fashion or Fashion Promotion. To find out more, visit https://www.atu.ie/courses/bachelor-of-arts-fashion-design-with-promotion-on-campus-donegal
Photo Gallery
L-R: Olivia Finney, Sinead Mulligan, Lorna Ross, Sharon Maxwell, William McNutt and Stacey McNutt
Naoise Comerford and Shannon Black
Lynsey McGarrigle Carlin and Jordana Devine from McElhinneys
Bray Zhang – Distant Echoes
Alicia Barr – Structured Light
Alicia Barr – Structured Light
Elizabete Klova – Wide Awake
Leah Kelly’s Mirrorball Collection
Aoife Brogan – Persephone’s Return
Textile Heritage Project by Emma McKinney
Emma McKinney – Atomic Allure
MickyJoe Towns – Birds do not Sing in Caves
Kelda Gibson and Fiona O’Reilly from the ATU Department of Design & Creative Media
Film student Louise Callaghan covering the fashion show
Hollie M Gallagher – Extended Boundaries
Anna Ní Mháirtín – Scavengers
Bray Zhang (right) with model showcasing the Distant Echoes collection
Alicia Barr with her model showcasing Structured Light
Emma McKinney with her Textile Heritage Project design
Aoife Brogan with her model showcasing the Persephone’s Return collection
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