Irish designers steal the show at Paris Fashion Week

Among the Irish names staking their claim in the French capital during the women’s autumn/winter 2024 season were Róisín Pierce, Jonathan Anderson at Loewe, and Seán McGirr at Alexander McQueen.

In the salons of the Irish embassy on Friday morning, Dublin native Róisín Pierce telegraphed a message of joy and hope amidst ongoing political and military conflicts across the globe.

The all-white procession sees Pierce build on the rich craftsmanship she is known for. Three-dimensional smocking is fused with handcrafted Irish crochet and lace overlaid with organza, flower chains are constructed from hand-crocheted lace, and recycled cotton dresses are laboured over with ruching and ruffles.

Angelic in their appearance, Pierce suggested they were like goddesses who fell from the stars to act as a salve against the ferocity that rages in the world today. 

“I’m a sponge to everything that’s taking place in the world so it’s hard not to channel that message in the collection,” said Pierce.

Ahead of the show, Pierce, who works on the brand with her mother, Angie Pierce, announced a brand development partnership with Dover Street Market Paris, which will see the label receive support with sales, production, and distribution.7

Later that day, Jonathan Anderson presented a tour-de-force collection for Spanish leather goods brand Loewe in a purpose-built box on the grounds of the Chateau de Vincennes.

Son of the former Irish international rugby captain Willie Anderson, the designer mused on class and wealth. 

As an outsider looking in, he upended preconceived notions of what constitutes preppy style with Surrealist results. 

Bucolic scenes, inspired by painter Albert Wood, typically found in tapestries in a manor’s drawing rooms are painstakingly embroidered with caviar beads into prints on clothes.

Etonian morning suits are styled with billowing silk trousers and waistcoats are paired with cargo pants. Wood carvings are applied to lapel collars. By resisting tradition, Anderson challenges who truly dictates how we dress by proposing a compelling alternative.

Now in his 10th year at Loewe, Anderson has transformed a sleepy leather house into one of the most covetable luxury brands in the world with his aptitude for materialising newness each season.

On Saturday night, Dublin’s Seán McGirr became the second designer ever entrusted with the legacy of Alexander McQueen.

In his show description, McGirr spoke about a “rough opulence” and “revealing the animal within”.

Staged in a disused train station on the fringes of the city, his look for McQueen is decidedly younger, sexier, and more experimental than the romantic yet raw femininity linked with his predecessor Sarah Burton.

It was more referential to the late namesake designer who routinely toyed with proportions of the body, with slick tailoring and a flair for drama.

Backstage, he talked about the cinched silhouette and colours such as Lamborghini yellow and Aston Martin blue (McGirr’s father is a mechanic; the design of cars fascinated him growing up).

One might think that taking the helm at a legacy brand would intimidate a young designer but McGirr asserted that he was more “excited” than anything else. With experience at Uniqlo, Dries van Noten, and fellow Irishman Anderson under his belt, he is a suitable contender for the job.

Paris Fashion Week started on February 26 and features 109 brands hosting 71 catwalk shows and 38 presentations.

There were terrific results from Hermès and Victoria Beckham over the weekend.

Beckham’s outing on Friday night was a smorgasbord of conceptual ideas with interesting riffs on tailoring — blazers doubled as bibs; shirt collars as necklaces; briefcases as the newest handbag style. At the end, the designer emerged on crutches after recently breaking her foot, waving to well-wishing attendees and embracing her husband, David Beckham.

Saturday’s Hermès show was a deeply chic lesson in radiant simplicity. Supple leathers sculpted the body while delectable suede, and furs paraded the runway in shades of burgundy, buttery yellow, and vermillion. Creative director Nadège Vanhee even added a passage of grungy looks like studded biker jackets to give a masculine edge to otherwise soigné proceedings.

It was in contrast to the complex collections by Junya Watanabe and Issey Miyake, which pushed the boundaries of clothing and sculpture. Paris Fashion Week concludes on Wednesday with a blockbuster show from Louis Vuitton.