By Sophie Marx

Like the halls of a Dover street market, the spaces curated for the Dublin Independent Fashion week (DIFW) were coming alive through the forward-thinking fashion of Irish designers.

It was a vibrant accumulation of Ireland’s leading creatives. Fashion merged with music and dance resulting in a pinnacle of community fostered art. From November 11th until November 16th, the second DIFWwas held between the Smock Alley Theatre and Fade Street Studio as a part of the Irish Design week 2024.

Surprise lingered in the air as fashion-enthusiasts, creatives and Irish media made their way through the exhibitions of 25 designers, who represent a small fraction of the talent growing on the Island. Mihai Mar, the 27-year-old owner of Mar Knitwear and co-founder of the DIFW remarked; “a lot of the audience members were surprised by how many independent brands there are, and we are hustling and deserve the space.”

“Many people from the press and media were [basically] jittery with excitement that DIFW is a thing. The response [has been] really enthusiastic and exciting.”

Mar founded his brand over two years ago after completing a degree in fine art textiles. Always drawn to creative spheres, it was his discovery of knitting machinery at his alma mater that resulted in his fascination with wearable art.

“I became engrossed in knitting and spent hours and hours just working away at that and learning more skills.”

However, after graduating and wanting to fully immerse himself in his craft professionally, the reality looked rather dire:“There weren’t any opportunities for me in Ireland for my creativity also because the fashion field is quite small here. I thought that starting a brand, although it’s difficult would give me a creative outlet for my designs.” Over the past decades there have been multiple attempts made at establishing fashion fairs In Ireland, all of which sooner or later dwindled away. Whether it was for lack of funding opportunities or organisational struggles, the talent continued to exist while career options on Irish soil remained sparse.

“In a way it is kind of sad that so many Irish designers are successful abroad but can’t seem to find footing here,” explained Mar.

The DIFW began with a conversation between seven designers, an attempt to create a space for them to showcase not only their work, but to create a community and opportunities for designers. After the undeniable success of the Dublin Independent Fashion Weekend in 2023, the desire of creatives in various fields to participate increased drastically. It was as if a door to possibility had been opened, and everyone wanted a moment on the other side.

“Even before the event happened this year our emails were flooded with stylists, makeup artists, hair stylists and models. So much talent beyond just designers wanting to get involved.”

It was the community element that the organisers wanted to highlight. “We wanted to encourage anyone who we couldn’t include in our schedule, but who really wanted to get involved to know they are welcome to create their own events. We were limited with our capacity this year but hopefully that won’t be an issue in the future.” Their future does not only look promising regarding demand, but in their vision as the DIFW pushes fashion standards to be environmentally conscious with their focus on sustainability. “The designers selected had to incorporate some sustainability elements because the fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world,” said Mar.

“With the amount of waste we create, it's really important to be aware of what our industry does to the planet. We really wanted to push that, and we really wanted to push made in Ireland and handcrafted here.” The vision of sustainable, Irish-designed fashion that rethinks and pushes forwards its craft aligns with Mar’s latest collection, “Tail Ends.” In line with the vision for the 2024 DIFW, Mar set himself the goal to work with materials he already had instead of virgin materials and move away from commercialised fashion. “I have collected a lot of yarn over the years, and I was thinking that it would be a good challenge to use what I already have. I think that it was quite successful.”

“Although there are many hard days in running a business, the DIFW made me feel like there actually is a place for me here in Ireland. And that is really fulfilling as an artist to know that what I am doing is worthwhile.”

Photography from Mihai Mar’s “Tail Ends” collection

Reclaiming a space for Irish designers and a community of creatives, it was important in the 2024 DIFW to bridge the traditional Irish identity with modernity.

“We had a good mixture of contemporary and traditional and I think the Irish fashion scene is just that. We see a lot of designers taking inspiration from Irish culture but giving it a contemporary twist. We are starting to form an identity.”

Mar elaborated: “Honestly, I am so inspired by the street style and seeing how people are styling everything. This is Dublin style that I don't see other places and I really admire that. I get inspired by that.” However, creativity alone is not enough. This year, the DIFW was partly funded by the Design and Craft Council and while this is an appreciated step in the right direction, Mar expressed the need for increased government funding in the future.“I want the government to know that it is important and worth funding. We have gotten outstanding support from the media, but I really think it’s about funding in the future to showcase Irish talent. We sold out instantly so if that’s not a sign that people are craving it I don’t now what is.”

“I would like the Government to see that it isn’t just about fashion, it’s about community. Fashion is an art form and it’s a craft that needs to be celebrated.”

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