“We are building Limerick as a city of culture, and fashion is part of that,” says Mike Fitzpatrick, head of the Limerick School of Art and Design.
The school was recently listed among the world’s top 50 fashion schools, and last Friday hosted a fashion degree show to coincide with the opening of the Eva biennial of visual art.
Twenty-four graduates displayed skills in abstract tailoring, innovative knit techniques and fabric manipulation. Notable this year was inspiration drawn from medicine and psychiatry, with claustrophobia, dementia, addiction, insanity and even jaw reconstructive surgery as concepts powering designs.
One of the more remarkable collections was that of Rebecca Marsden, who manipulated radiator brass taping to create iridescent pleated shapes that curved and twisted around the body. Fiona Nugent looked to Chinese and Mayan cultures for a collection rich in texture and colour, while Sinéad Dunleavy majored on intricate handcraft.
Róisín Murphy’s joie de vivre showed in her melange of sparkly lurex and colourful ginghams. Grace Horan’s menswear was polished and fun, while Aishling McDonnell’s Victorian Gothic collection had a powerful impact.
The AIB graduate business award went to Kaitlin McGrath for her collection inspired by the Children of Lir; she will be the first tenant of the school’s new fashion incubator unit.