Coming Home: RAESIDE at Dublin Independent Fashion Week
This September feels like one of those moments I'll remember for a very long time.
I'm incredibly proud to be one of the first 60 designers selected to present a look at the opening night of Dublin Independent Fashion Week, taking place in the iconic General Post Office on O'Connell Street.
For anyone from Dublin, the GPO is so much more than a building. It stands at the heart of Irish history, forever linked with the Easter Rising of 1916 and the people who shaped the future of our country. To be showing work there, in a place so deeply connected to resilience, identity and independence, feels incredibly special.
For me, it's also a homecoming.
I grew up in Drimnagh and went to school in Inchicore before building my career in England. Like so many Irish families, my own story is one of movement between Ireland and Britain, carrying heritage, skills and traditions across the Irish Sea. That journey has become the foundation of my work.
RAESIDE is shaped by Irish and Scottish heritage, natural fibres and traditional craftsmanship. My latest collection, Endurance – Threads of Discovery, explores endurance, migration and belonging through knitwear and reclaimed denim, drawing inspiration from Irish explorer Tom Crean and the generations of Irish makers whose stories continue to inspire me.
To bring that work back to Dublin for its very first runway appearance feels like bringing a piece of that journey full circle.
There's also something fitting about presenting it in the GPO.
A building that once became a symbol of courage and change now opens its doors to a new generation of independent Irish designers, each bringing their own voice and vision. Dublin Independent Fashion Week has grown into an important platform for emerging and independent fashion, championing creativity, sustainability and craftsmanship while creating opportunities for designers to be seen.
I'm honoured to be part of that story.
See you in Dublin!
Acknowledgments
Postmarked - DIFW 2026 Opening Ceremony Produced By Mihai Mar (DIFW Chairperson & Founder of @mar_knitwear)
In Partnership With An Post (@anpostofficial), Hosons Brands (@hosonsbrands), Something & Nothing (@wearesomethingandnothing)
Event Production Director - Sarah Carroll Kelly (@shockofgreyshop)
Technical Director - Isabella Tierney (@isabellatierneydesign)
Model Lead - Ashley Shak-Penn (@hamstacular)
Show Lead - Adeola Adediran (@adeola.portfolio), Kiara Murphy (@kiara._.murph)
Backstage Lead - Amanda Marques (@newjukebox)
Guest Lead - Lora Reinfeldt (@lora.reinfeldt)
Graphic Designer - Alannah Quayle (@lanquayle)
Photography - Guilherme Resende (@guirtds), Edgar Camargo (@edgcmrg)