BELFAST FASHIONWEEK KICKS OFF IN STYLE! #BelfastFW

FASHIONWEEK KICKS OFF IN STYLE!
West Coast Cooler FASHIONWEEK got off to a truly glamorous start on Wednesday night [09 Oct] with an intimate fashion show by award winning designer, Una Rodden at the Meter House at the Gasworks, Belfast. Five stunning models posed on plinths beautifully showcasing the latest couture collection from the talented designer, which served as the perfect opening event to kick off the celebrations of the sixteenth season of Belfast’s favourite fashion event.

The glamour continued last night, [Thu 10 October] as hoards of fashion fans were treated to an evening of catwalk glamour at the very first of the Belfast FASHIONWEEK runway shows which kicked off with a remarkable display from Northern Ireland’s designer boutiques at the Ulster Museum.

Independently owned stores that impressed the packed out audience with a showcase of the very latest trends from their autumn/winter collections included Liberty Blue, Jourdan, Blush, Cruise, Diamond Dolls and Rio|Brazil’s new online boutique Mr & Mrs Stitch.

Following what has been a difficult year for many independently owned retailers, Director of FASHIONWEEK Cathy Martin said: “There’s no denying that the past few years have been difficult in retail, particularly for our indies, but last night’s show provided a platform for those boutiques to put on an incredible display of the beautiful and stylish collections that they have to offer. The show seemed to wow the crowd and the audience members were audibly impressed by the high-end and one-off pieces sashaying down the catwalk – perfect for fashionistas with their own sense of style who like to stand out from the crowd. Let’s hope that FASHIONWEEK encourages audience members and those seeing the pictures afterwards to come into the stores and buy.

As usual, the evening went by in a blur of stunning outfits worn by over 20 of Northern Ireland’s up and coming models all groomed to perfection with hair styled by Andrew Mulvenna.

Steven Simpson, Manager from Rio & Brazil commented: “We’re delighted to be taking part in Belfast FASHIONWEEK to show off our latest collections under the bright lights of the catwalk! It’s also a great opportunity to be able to offer the audience a sneak peak on what they can expect from our new online store, Mr and Mrs Stitch which is launching next month. Belfast FASHIONWEEK really is a fantastic marketing tool for local retailers and also offers a great opportunity to catch up with others in the industry.”

Claire McCallion, Manager at Liberty Blue said the event provides the perfect outlet for boutiques to communicate with their target market: “FASHIONWEEK is one of the hottest events on the fashion calendar and is very popular with young ladies who love their fashion and have their own sense of style, so it’s great for us to be here to showcase all our beautiful fashion to the stylish crowd.”

The catwalk was ablaze with all the hottest trends which are making a big style statement this season. In terms of colours, red and burgundy made an appearance in many of the collections on show with texture obviously being another big fashion hit this autumn/winter with lots of delicate, feminine lace and in contrast, the dark and edgy leather look. Another key trend was strong prints with leopard print, tartan and plaid all featuring heavily on the runway.

Brenda Diamond, Manager at Diamond Dolls boutique in Banbridge, said: “Belfast FASHIONWEEK is one of my favourite fashion events. Of course, it’s fantastic to be able to show off our stock and the various individual and quirky collections that we carry but it’s also great to come to Belfast to let people know that there are good boutiques outside of the city too.”

West Coast Cooler FASHIONWEEK continues tomorrow with the massively popular High Street Heaven catwalk show which, unsurprisingly, sold out weeks in advance. Lucky ladies who managed to snap up a ticket will enjoy high street winter fashion from CastleCourt, The OUTLET, Banbridge, Next, Jigsaw, Mexx, Oasis, Heatons and M&S.

For further information on West Coast Cooler FASHIONWEEK log onto www.belfastfashionweek.com or www.facebook.com/belfastfw.

https://lovebelfast.co.uk/fashion/