Held at The MAC Belfast on Tuesday, a live fashion show kicked off the Glass Runway exhibition, which runs from June 6 until July 25 at Belfast’s Craft NI Gallery. As part of an initiative led by The Council of Irish Fashion Designers and The Glass Society of Ireland, 20 creatives from across Ireland teamed up for the project, including five based in Northern Ireland. Showcasing glass and fashion, including glass bags, millinery, dresses, and jewellery, the artists used their skills to create and also to question gender bias and champion inclusion.
NI fashion designer Sara O’Neill, founder of the Éadach brand, and whose designs have appeared on the red carpet and winners’ stages at The Oscars, Baftas, IFTAs, Emmys and much more, was the evening’s special guest speaker. The north coast-based designer reflected on her early desire to move to London for its “creative scene” but grew to appreciate the opportunities in Ireland, adding that “for such a small place we really punch above our weight”. “London had a hold on me in my teens and twenties,” she said.
"After school in the 90s, I would stand in a newsagent in Portstewart, reading all the glossy fashion and music magazines. "London was the centre of the world in fashion, music, art, and film. There was so much energy and I wanted to be part of it — a world away from the north coast of NI in the 90s”.
She continued: “I realised attending art college in London was out of the question — it just wasn.
