What does it take to arrange a one-of-a-kind event celebrating Irish design at Paris Fashion Week?
For Ashley McDonnell, an Irish digital leader working in luxury and tech at Puig and host of the podcast Tech Powered Luxury, it was almost two years of 'no's' and, eventually, a frantic month of calling guests, collaborators and investors once she finally got the green light.
The result, Live from Paris Fashion Week, put Irish fashion squarely on the fashion world stage.
Nestled amid Christian Dior, Schiaparelli, Loewe and Victoria Beckham on the Paris Fashion Week 2024 schedule, Live from Paris Fashion Week took place on 26 September and was a glamorous event celebrating the best of Irish design.
Guests included musician Lyra, designers Aoife McNamara, Róisín Linnane and Colin Burke, and were just some of the Irish movers and shakers at the event. McDonnell, dressed in a white mini dress by The White Era, chaired a panel discussion, while Picture This performed at the end of the night. It was a true cross section of Irish talent.
It was also, McDonnell hopes, an early test run for Ireland's own fashion week, which she plans to launch late next year.
As she pictures it, our fashion week will be "very different" to others, as we don't have the "legacy that exists in other cities that have fashion weeks".
"It's going to be less about bringing in media and buyers, and it's going to be more focused on community, education, giving a platform to people. It won't just be fashion shows. It'll be events, it'll be talks, it'll be exhibitions. It'll be looking into what is Ireland's history with fashion and what does fashion mean for Ireland and what role will we play in the industry in the years to come."
For brands wanting to get their designs out there, there's no bigger stage when it comes to fashion.
"There's a serious pull when it comes to Paris Fashion Week in particular, I think more so than any other Fashion Week in the world", McDonnell says. "And I really felt it in the lead up because whenever I messaged anyone and said, look, I'm doing this event, it's called Live from Paris Fashion Week, before sharing any detail, people were like, yes, I've dreamed of going to Paris Fashion Week.
"I thought, why can't I create something that makes it really accessible for Irish designers to appear at Paris Fashion Week?
Muscling in on the already jam-packed Paris Fashion Week would not be for the faint of heart, and McDonnell stresses that for smaller and newer brands, it's almost an impossibility to compete with larger designers.
Doing so would cost upwards of "tens, if not hundreds of thousands of euros. It goes into the millions for the bigger brands if you look at the likes of Chanel and Dior", she says.
Wanting to champion Irish brands and bring them into a room with investors, media, influencers and buyers, McDonnell leaned on her own network to pull off the event. "We've got great designers. They can be great businesses, Let's give them visibility, and let's give them the connections they need to succeed", she says.
Two years ago, however, it wasn't enough to convince some people. After countless rejections, McDonnell went straight to the Irish Embassy in Paris, armed with slides and a full mood board. Finally given the go ahead, she was tasked with finding funding, which she knew she wouldn't get from fashion brands themselves.
"As is often the case when it comes to the luxury industry, fashion brands build the dream, and they build image and desirability, but they're often not the cash cow of the industry."
Two days of frantic phone calls later, she had funding.
The result was a glittering night of music and fashion. "I wanted to create something that felt like Fashion Week as people expect it to be", McDonnell says, adding that they worked with Irish brands Ayu makeup, Solista Beauty and Ella and Joe to have a glam station.
"Everyone was just so happy to be there. And for so many people that have probably never met in real life as well to be in one place, people that may have collaborated or from a distance, knowing what they were doing, it was definitely really special to get them all in one room. I'll never forget it."
After two years of rejections, I wondered, why did this event finally happen now?
"I feel Irish design is having a moment, so there's more of a focus on it than there had been previously", McDonnell says.
The event also created a shortcut of sorts for Irish brands who wanted to showcase their work to international buyers, media figures and investors: "Bringing those people to Ireland will be very, very challenging, but we were able to bring Ireland to them and make it really accessible in the heart of the city in a beautiful setting, making sure that they left with the most positive impression possible of our country and our designers."
As for next year's inaugural Irish Fashion Week, McDonnell is more certain than ever about the demand for Irish design. "I have never had so many people message me in my life asking for access to something. Until an hour before the event, I still had people messaged me asking for a ticket."
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