Ashley McDonnell on bringing Irish design to the Middle East

Ashley McDonnell, an Irish digital leader working in luxury and tech at Puig, and host of the podcast Tech Powered Luxury, brought her chart-topping podcast to Abu Dhabi, where she hosted a showcase of Irish designers. Here, she takes us behind the scenes.

Less than 48 hours after summiting Kilimanjaro and filming two documentaries on the impact of fast fashion on the planet, myself and Irish designer Aoife McNamara landed in Abu Dhabi for our next project: a live fashion show and podcast introducing the best of Irish design to the Middle East.

In our hotel beds for midnight and getting our first proper showers after seven nights of high altitude camping, it was a quick turnaround: by 8am I was having a breakfast meeting with the Tech Powered Luxury team and by 9.30am we were at the Irish Ambassador's residence, ready for the final sprint ahead of hosting a 300-person event celebrating Irish fashion, innovation and creativity.

The purpose behind "Live from Abu Dhabi" was clear from the beginning: bring a fashion show featuring Irish design to the Middle East. Irish Ambassador Alison Milton, who has been based in Abu Dhabi since August 2022, saw an opportunity for Irish design to position itself within the region and expand beyond the island into one of the fastest growing markets for luxury brands.

We put out an open call in November for Irish designers to participate in the fashion show. With over 40 applications, 16 designers across fashion, jewellery, leather goods and shoes were chosen to curate the first ever all-Irish fashion show in the Middle East.

Stylists and personal shoppers Jessica Colivet and Anne O’Shea produced the fashion show, touring Ireland ahead of the big day to meet all of the designers in their studios and select the best pieces from their collections - including a visit to Magee 1866’s mill in Donegal town.

By the time we arrived at the residence, our local partners - Off Beat and Solas, both led by Irish people - were on site and transforming the 100m long garden into the event space. Hundreds of lanterns dotted around the garden, lounge spaces were being installed with custom furniture from Irish-owned company The Design House and natural fibre carpets created the runway.

Irish broadcasters Lorraine Keane and Triona McCarthy manned the red carpet, speaking with attendees as they arrived - including Peter Stringer, who shared his top skincare tips!

By 7pm we had 300 guests and it was time to start the podcast. After opening remarks by HE Ambassador Alison Milton and Enterprise Ireland's Abbey Salako, I took the stage to introduce our five panelists: Akash Mehta (Founder and CEO of Fable and Mane), Dr Vali (Founder of By Dr Vali), Jamie Ray (Founder and CEO of Buttermilk), Rosy Temple (CEO of Magee 1866) and Anneliese Duffy (CEO of the Linen Shirt Company, Founder of Fashion Connect Ireland).

The live podcast delved into the success of our first three panelists in the UAE and wider region, followed by a deeper discussion on the future for Irish fashion at home and abroad with Rosy and Anneliese - both from fourth and third generation families within garment production in Ireland. The full podcast episode will be available to watch and listen to on Spotify on Tuesday 25 February.

With that, the fashion show kicked off! Irish photographer and DJ Christian Tierney set the mood with music while each of the designers sent four looks down the runway. Thirteen of these were Irish fashion designers: Aoife McNamara, Triona, Magee 1866, Chupi, Melissa Curry, Oceanus, Linen Shirt Company, Helen Steele, ANDTate, HEINTZ, Roisin Linnane, The White Era and Jennifer Rothwell.

We also featured two jewellery designers - Melissa Curry and Chupi - accessories brand ALĒO, shoe brand Bróg and milliner Evelyn McDermott Millinery. The show was closed by Thalia Heffernan in a custom look by The Linen Shirt Company and a statement headpiece from Evelyn McDermott.

Finally, Alison Milton took to the runway to close the show, bringing Astronaut Sara Saby with her - the first Egyptian, Arab and African woman to travel to space - wearing a dress by Aoife McNamara.

For me, however, the highlight of the night came right at the end when Irish pop star Lyra walked down the runway and onto the stage, wearing a custom look from Cork designer Phoenix Vire. Lyra had every attendee on their feet - showing that Ireland is well and truly on the map across all areas of creativity: from fashion to music and beyond.