Programmes & Learning

FASHION from the edge of Ireland, was how host Eddie Shanahan described the stunning collections on display at DEFINE in the Convoy Woollen Mills, a showcase of breath-taking Donegal fashion and design.
The first of its kind, DEFINE – Donegal Enterprising Fashion Innovation Networking Event – was put together by the Creative Coast Donegal.

At Saturday’s event, Head of Enterprise in Donegal, Michael Tunney, said “The energy of the students combined with the experience of the established designers, has created the dynamic to make this the most active and ambitious of our creative clusters.”

Ten Donegal designers, including three graduates from last year’s Fashion & Promotion Degree course at Letterkenny IT, took to the runway in the former Convoy Woollen Mills, with fabulous creative collections true to the heritage and traditions of the county. Valerie Taylor, Michelle McCarroll, Eimear Bradley, Margaret Gillespie, Weaver and Wilde, Una Rodden, Joan Carey, April Murphy, Hannah McGuinness and Bernie Murphy all wowed the audience with their sensational fashion & accessories. LYIT students Aoife Nolan, Niamh Quigley, Leah Love, Chloe Murtagh, Amy Devlin and Helen Murray also showcased the up and coming talent in the county with splendid collections, Helen Murray winning the McElhinney’s sponsored prize for best student designer.

Chair of the Irish Fashion Council, Eddie Shanahan who was host for the day echoed those sentiments. “The energy with which a new generation of Donegal designers is leveraging its heritage to create collections with a contemporary sensibility is inspirational.”