West Coast Cooler FASHIONWEEK kicked off the start of its tenth year celebrations last night (Wednesday 19 March) with the launch of designer and entrepreneur Larissa Watson’s new studio and showroom for her luxury fashion brand Goddess and Swift. Guests enjoyed drinks and watched in awe as the stunning FASHIONWEEK models beautifully showcased the latest collection from the talented designer, giving lucky fashion fans a sneak peak before it made its debut on the Belfast FASHIONWEEK catwalk at the Ulster Museum just a few hours later.
“@JustinKernoghan: Belfast FASHIONWEEK celebrates 10 years!#belfastfw pic.twitter.com/Cqz1mXUlXv”
— Love Belfast (@love_belfast) March 19, 2014
As the catwalk lit up under the bright spotlights, the very best of local designers and designer boutiques impressed the crowd with their delightful designs. Goddess and Swift was joined by other home-grown designers and designer boutiques including Harrison, Blush, Jourdan, Diamond Dolls and Cruise. Other talented designers including Grainne Maher, Gordon Donaldson, Julia Sokele, Nor Lisa, Rachel McKnight and a guest design house from Italy called Fashion Gossip together got the week’s fabulous catwalk shows under way.
It's #belfastFW https://t.co/fbPuDMDPqb
— Love Belfast (@love_belfast) March 20, 2014
Following the stunning display of local talent, Director of FASHIONWEEK Cathy Martin said: “Our local designers and independent retailers have truly got our tenth year celebrations going with a bang, or, in keeping with our colourful campaign this season, I should really say with a splash! What a beautiful array of colour, luxurious fabrics, prints and shapes we saw on tonight’s catwalk; the runway really was a stunning visual display of what extraordinary talent we have here. Our independently owned stores and designers have proven that they have a remarkable eye when it comes to selecting and creating high end fashion which is internationally chic and stylish. Over the years we’ve worked with such a variety of designers – some of which have made some incredible achievements going on to work in top fashion houses in New York and Paris, so I’m delighted that our local boutiques and designers opened our show tonight.”
Over twenty of Northern Ireland’s up and coming models put on a show of their own with their elegant physiques and perfectly groomed hair styled by Andrew Mulvenna with make up looks applied by Paddy McGurgan’s Academy team.
Key trends on the catwalk included bold summery brights and prints as well as monochrome and chunky styling all over. Pastel metallics also abounded, as did a very sophisticated ‘sports luxe’ look from many collections.
Larissa Watson of Goddess and Swift said “I’ve been taking part in FASHIONWEEK for a number of seasons now and I’m thrilled to be here tonight among all the fashion conscious ladies of Northern Ireland. It’s a double celebration for me as I welcomed guests along to the opening of my new Belfast studio the same night, which is very exciting for me. The show’s been going from strength to strength and I’m so pleased to be here for its tenth year.”
Final #backstage photo @BELFASHIONWEEK #belfastfw loads more at http://t.co/i8z4a8TTUx pic.twitter.com/G7uUQoPWFb
— Belfast Times (@Belfasttimes) March 19, 2014
Check out more photos from @belfasttimes: http://instagram.com/belfasttimes
New designers Julia Sokele and Gordon Donaldson also wowed the crowd with their work and showed they are definitely ones to watch for the future in the growing design industry here. Julia said: “Fashion Week provides such a great springboard for someone like me to help launch a career. Seeing my collection on professional models in such a cool setting is wonderful and I am really happy to be here among established designers.”
Pat Jordan-Scott of Jourdan on Belfast’s Lisburn Road, who has been in retail since the 1960s said: “Tonight we showcased Joseph Ribkoff soft animal prints along with a selection of stunning cocktail dresses and of course our red carpet evening wear.”
West Coast Cooler FASHIONWEEK continues tonight (Thursday 20 March) with the massively popular High Street Heaven catwalk show which sold out weeks in advance. Those who were lucky enough to snap up a ticket will enjoy high street summer fashion from CastleCourt, The OUTLET, Banbridge, Benetton, Next, Jigsaw, Mexx, and M&S.
For further information on West Coast Cooler FASHIONWEEK log onto www.belfastfashionweek.com or www.facebook.com/belfastfw.
It's #BelfastFW (at @UlsterMuseum) [pic]: http://t.co/CexJu0QPjv pic.twitter.com/EBLNVIVDyu
— Love Belfast (@love_belfast) March 19, 2014
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