Carrickmacross Lace dress comes home to National Museum for eight weeks only

The Carrickmacross Lace dress that captivated audiences during Irish designer Michael Stewart's Paris Couture Week debut has returned home and is now on display at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, as part of Standing Ground: Ireland-France, Savoir-Faire, Innovation and the Future of Crafts, a new exhibition.

Launched yesterday (Tuesday, November 10), the exhibition showcases the remarkable couture gown alongside a second Paris couture creation by Stewart. The exhibition runs for just eight weeks, offering a rare opportunity to see one of the most ambitious contemporary expressions of the 200-year-old Carrickmacross Lace tradition.

At the press preview yesterday morning, Stewart spoke exclusively to The Anglo-Celt about the collaboration, the craft and the women whose skill brought his vision to life.

"I really wanted it to look like Carrickmacross Lace. It had to retain the effect of the traditional lacemaking. That was really important for me, not to change it into something else. I have reimagined it. Carrickmacross Lace often has botanical elements to it. It's very much about my hand, the hands of the lacemakers, both of us together, making something new that is rooted in that tradition, underpinned by the rigour of the craft. That's really important for me, that the craft is supported and modernised by the aesthetic of the work as well."

When it was mentioned that the lacemakers never thought they would find themselves featured in Vogue magazine, Stewart replied simply: "They deserved to be in Vogue."

Asked about the extraordinary level of craftsmanship involved, he said that was precisely why he chose to work with Carrickmacross Lace and paid tribute to fashion designer Natalie B. Coleman, who first introduced him to the technique.

"A few years ago, she had a few really special pieces and I was really struck by how beautiful it was and I asked Natalie for her advice, and almost her blessing, because I see Natalie as a custodian of the lace, as much as the lacemakers.

"I think Carrickmacross Lace is lucky to have Natalie, because she is someone who is generous with sharing it. Some designers maybe don't want to share techniques, but Natalie wants to see it have life breathed into it and invigorated. That's what we want to see happening, we want to see other people use Carrickmacross Lace, that's how it stays alive."

Natalie B. Coleman, one of the exhibition's curators and the liaison between the Carrickmacross lacemakers and Stewart's London studio, said she was delighted that a documentary accompanying the exhibition was completed in time for the opening.

She said of the McEnaney Group: "They came to the rescue and gave us enough to cover the post production,” adding: “It's a real community effort," she said of the film, which also received support from Monaghan Local Enterprise Office and the Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI). "It meant so much that it's recognised in Monaghan and Carrickmacross. That was very special."

Speaking about the documentary, which she hopes will be screened in Carrickmacross after Christmas, Ms Coleman explained: "It shows the story from the making of the lace in rural Co Monaghan, all the way to couture week in Paris. My daughter plays tin whistle at the end."

The Carrickmacross-based fashion designer and lecturer explained that she had just finished installing six framed stages showing the development of Stewart's dragonfly motif, from original sketch to finished lacework, while six corresponding pieces chart the making of the Maison Vermont dress. The sculptural, near-invisible mannequins were sponsored by LVMH.

Ms Coleman, who was high in her praise for the artisan lacemakers from her hometown, said the project had transformed perceptions of the famous craft.

"It was really important work to be a part of. I was just happy to be involved, to be able to support Standing Ground (Michael Stewart’s label). You know what? It has changed the way people see Carrickmacross Lace, they didn't connect it with contemporary fashion, it was more of an historical relic. Now it's moved, not only to contemporary fashion, but the highest couture level.

"Carrickmacross is Ireland's couture stitch. The lacemakers did absolutely stunning work, they have such skill, technique and precision. It's really important that we're proud of what we have in our own community, support it and keep it evolving."

The artisans who carried out the lace work were Theresa Kelly, Martha Hughes, Sarah Hughes, Bríd Deery, Ann McMahon, Áine Hanrahan, Geraldine O'Reilly, Breda Woods-Cassidy, Elizabeth Daly and Mary McMahon.

Dónal Maguire, Keeper of the Collection at Collins Barracks, said the exhibition had been more than a year in the making.

"When the museum, the French Embassy and Design and Crafts Council of Ireland came together around this idea, the dresses weren't even finished. There was a huge amount of trust in the process, in Michael's ambition and in the project itself."

He said the museum wanted to give the public access to world-class contemporary fashion within a national institution.

"Around the same time as the Dior show in Trinity College, we felt it was important to create an opportunity for people to experience the highest level of contemporary fashion in a public museum."

Maguire noted that more than 4,000 hours of work went into the Carrickmacross Lace dress.

"It's so rare today to have that many human hours devoted to creating something so delicate. It's bringing a two-century-old tradition to a new audience through contemporary fashion. It's only here for eight weeks and I can't encourage people enough to come and see it."

For the lacemakers, seeing their work displayed in the National Museum was an emotional experience.

Martha Hughes, who spent 500 hours making a lace top to wear for the occasion, described the project as historic.

"It's brilliant, magnificent and great PR for Carrickmacross and County Monaghan. We have made history.

"When Michael came to us, he listened carefully to our guidance and incorporated shamrocks, blackberries, brambles and the dragonfly into the design. When we first saw the work involved it seemed enormous, and it was, but now we can look at it and say: 'That's our dress.'"

Bríd Deery said the scale of the achievement only fully dawned on the lacemakers when the finished gown was unveiled.

"When we were working on it, we didn't realise just how significant it would become. The goal was simply to finish it in time. I'm proud of all the lacemakers involved and grateful to Michael for bringing the craft to a new level."

Sarah Hughes of Newry was the youngest contributor to the project, beginning work on the dress at just 21 while completing a Fashion and Business degree.

"There's a panel across the chest covered in shamrocks and one four-leaf clover. I was the person who stitched that."

Seeing the finished gown on display was a surreal experience, she said.

"We were all working individually in our homes. To see it displayed like this is incredible."

Her mother, Róisín, became emotional as she praised her daughter's contribution.

"She's a wee wonder. Seeing the dress for the first time, I was in tears."

Her father, Ronan, added:

"When it comes to making things, she's operating at a level far beyond her years."

Among the contributors was Áine Hanrahan from Connemara, who has practised lacemaking for 12 years.

"I had no idea it would become something this magnificent. Seeing it today was mind-blowing. To look at the areas you stitched yourself and then see the finished dress is very special."

Theresa Kelly, one of the Carrickmacross-based lacemakers involved in the project, admitted she became overwhelmed when she first saw the gown displayed.

"You just cry. It's so emotional. I never expected to see my work in the National Museum. I knew the dress would be special, but I didn't expect it to be this spectacular. It's beyond my wildest dreams."

Fresh from a private viewing, Minister Niamh Smyth praised the collaboration behind the project and the 4,300 hours of work invested by the lacemakers.

"This beautiful couture dress has transformed a 200-year-old craft into a contemporary masterpiece. The women who created it should be immensely proud, and we should be immensely proud of them."

The minister also revealed her family's own connection to Carrickmacross Lace, noting that her mother made her First Communion veil using the craft and that her daughter later wore the same veil.

Mary Blanchfield, Chief Executive of the Design & Crafts Council Ireland, which falls under the Minister’s remit in the Department of Enterprise, explained that the project originated with a proposal from the Standing Ground designer himself.

"The most important thing to Michael was that the people who worked on the gown would be properly paid. He needed support to make that happen. Working with the Heritage Council, we were able to help bring the project to life."

She described the gown's unveiling in Paris earlier this year as a landmark moment and said the exhibition demonstrated how traditional Irish craftsmanship can achieve global recognition.

French Ambassador Céline Place officially launched Standing Ground: Ireland-France, Savoir-Faire, Innovation and the Future of Crafts.

"Through this wonderful exhibition and Michael Stewart's visionary work, we celebrate not only the dialogue between Parisian haute couture embroidery and centuries-old Irish lacemaking, but also the extraordinary expertise of makers and the transmission of skills across borders."

The exhibition runs at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin, for eight weeks. Admission is free.