Unify Fashion Showcase takes N.I. by storm!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Donatella Versace......these names are common place when discussing fashion, however what some may not realise is that here in Northern Ireland we are fast becoming a melting pot of emerging fashion talent! Within our small country we have some incredibly talented designers covering everything from millinery and jewellery, to ready to wear and couture gowns! No longer do we need to turn to the established designers, but instead we can look to within our own country to discover the next Tom Ford's and Karl Lagerfeld's!
The Unify fashion collective studio was established less than a year ago, and acts as a platform to help these designers showcase their amazing designs, as well as helping them to grow as both designers and as business people as they embark upon their design careers!
I must confess I am friends with a number of the designers who are a part of Unify, and I am honestly so proud of them all! Since the launch of Unify in August these amazing designers have grown and evolved so much, and so it was with the greatest of pleasure that I recently attended their Fashion Showcase in the opulent surroundings of Parliament Building's Stormont!
It was indeed a magical evening, with Stormont's Great Hall providing the perfect backdrop for this most chic of fashion events! Guest's in black tie attire, Aston Martin as the main sponsor, it all helped to set the mood as we eagerly awaited the designs of emerging fashion designers Shauna Fay, Kam Kouture by Kiera Anne Marie Phillips, David Henderson, Barry Devine and House of Hannigan along with up and coming student designers from Belfast Metropolitan College and jewellery and millinery designers Marie Claire Millinery, B’Jewelled Bridal, Melanie Bond and Aura.
It's fantastic to see how each of these designers have progressed and evolved and I was extremely impressed with the first designer of the evening Kiera Anne Marie Phillips, the creative mind behind Kam Kouture! Her designs juxtaposed girly femininity with the quirky touches we have come to know and love from Kam Kouture. Perfectly tailored leather showed just how chic and über sexy leather could be while her cocoon shaped capes created THE modren silhouette of the season! I loved the feel of her strapless dresses and Kam Kouture signature embroidery, giving each piece a unique feel!
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Barry Devine was a welcome addition to the show. Having never seen his full collection before, I loved the chic, grown up feel to his pieces. Think Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, his pieces were all about sophisticated glamour! His gold sheath dress would shine on any red carpet and his strapless black prom style dress was the perfect party LBD!! But stand out was his amazing palazzo pants, I may be addicted to my skinny fit trousers, but these were the most glamorous trousers I had seen in a long time! I loved the collection and look forward to seeing his designs on the catwalk in the future!
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Photograph: Stephen Potter.
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Next to show was House of Hannigan, having made a name for himself in London it was good to see designer Christopher O'Reilly returning to N.I. to showcase his designs! His collection was a lesson in skirts, from long and flowing, to the perfect high waisted shirt (a la Mad Men)! The many facets of the skirt were on display, and I found myself falling hard for his floral panelled body con skirt! From September he will be the in-house designer at boutique New U at 92 in Moria, and owner Mandy Baxter is beyond excited to have him on board!
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
The real surprise of the evening however was the designs from the students of the Belfast Metropolitan College. Showing a grasp for pattern cutting and design beyond their years, I honestly couldn't believe these were the designs of students and not graduates!! An eclectic mix of designs, I was of course captivated by all things chic and glamorous! A beautiful dusky pink gown with THE most exquisite cowl back, separates which captured both a chic and sexy feel, and jaw dropping full length gowns adorned the stunning models! But my favourite was a pair of burnished gold trousers, paired with a stunning shirt adorned with knife pleat cuffs!!! J'adore!!! If this is what they are producing at this stage I cannot wait to see what they will be doing as graduates!
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Photograph: Stephen Potter.
Photograph: Stephen Potter.
Photograph: Stephen Potter.
The last two designers of the night to show were Shauna Fay and David Henderson. Both designers have been with Unify since it's inception and the past year has seen both of their careers sky rocket, and deservingly so as both have such a strong style aesthetic, and produce truly inspiring designs!!
Shauna Fay is quite simply amazing! Her designs turn women into screen sirens, focusing on cut to create the perfect enviable silhouette! You can pick out a Shauna Fay design from 50 paces, her dresses are works of art from every angle, with delicate beadwork across the back of a dress and the finest lacework, embroidery and beading across necklines seductively carried through to the back of the dress. Whether it's an evening gown, or one of her bespoke bridal gowns, her dresses are the kind that fashion dreams are made off!
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Last but by no means least was David Henderson. Not only is he a designer, he is also the manager of the Unify Studio and has had an incredible year, dressing the likes of Dame Mary Peters when she attended BBC Sports Personality of the Year! David is fascinated with texture, and it has been a true revelation to see how his designs have evolved into dresses which not only stay true to his original design aesthetic, but are beautiful wearable dresses! Out of all the designers he has been the one to evolve most since becoming a part of Unify and is a testament to the difference Unify can make to a designer! While I do love his leather and material textured dresses I found myself falling hard for his gorgeous skater style dresses, and I loved how feminine his full length gowns and bridalwear were!
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Photograph: Glen McAuley.
Photograph: Stephen Potter.
Not only was the Unify Fashion Showcase a hugely enjoyable event, I also believe it was a turning point in Northern Irish Fashion. We have some amazing design talent and the only way we can keep them here is by supporting them, so next time you are looking for something new why not take a look at what our Northern Irish designers have to offer, I promise you won't be disapointed!!!
For more information check out the Unify website at www.unifyni.com
Video from the event very kindly provided by Norm Keilty.
Massive thanks to UNIFY & to CMPR for inviting me to such a wonderful evening.
All photographs kindly provided by Glen McAuley and Stephen Potter.
