Now in its 14th year, BT Create is an ambitious showcase of up-and-coming Irish creative design, with a varied selection of new brands across fashion, homewear, footwear and more. The dazzling event launched in store yesterday, 3 July, and brought together some of the country's most impressive designers and stylists.
Among them was Irene O'Brien, one of the stylists behind Dancing With the Stars and Today with Maura and Dáithí. She told RTÉ Lifestyle that the showcase was "one of my favourite events of the year".
"There's such excitement. I always love coming to the launch and seeing all of the designers in their space and having that opportunity to chat to them, but also that you just burst with pride when you walk in somewhere like this.
"I love the fact that we're able to bring in all these bold colours with more heritage pieces and just that clashing of designs that is done so well and so beautifully."
With many fashionable projects in the pipeline, O'Brien said the collection is always a font of inspiration: "I go home kind of giddy and I want to get stuck in to some mood boards. And also thinking to myself, what opportunity would I have to feature these designers?"
Highlighting Shock of Grey, the range of lightweight, handcrafted statement jewellery from unpredictable materials founder and designer Sarah Carroll Kelly, O'Brien noted how some small, carefully considered accessories can completely reinvent a wardrobe.
"I always think, when people are trying to embrace colour and embrace something bolder and they come to me and they say, 'oh, I can't get away with that, I couldn't do that', I always think one of the easiest ways to introduce that kind of element to your style or to try it out is through jewellery and accessories."
Finding your personal style can be a lifelong journey, and that's before you consider changes in location, age and weather. When it comes to dressing for the summer in Ireland, O'Brien pointed out that it's always a challenge, no matter how stylish you are.
"As a freckly redhead, summer was always tricky because I loved the idea of it but I was always almost trying to dress the way I thought I should dress", she said. "And I think once I left that behind I could really embrace it and get the milk bottles and the freckles out with the legs!
"One of the things that happens, not just on summer, especially on holiday, is that people go away - and I do it myself - and I pack a bag for someone that I think is going to be different, and then I get there two and a half hours later and think, 'I'm the exact same person, why did I think I wanted to dress like this?'"
Avoiding panic shopping is key, she said, and instead, "Ask yourself, who am I? What do I enjoy wearing during the winter? Which season do I feel most myself, and can I incorporate that?"
As a lover of vintage and sustainable fashion, O'Brien is passionate about shopping your own wardrobe and reworking items for different seasons.
That said, when sun is shining, we can take the opportunity to "push things a little bit more", with more colour, more jewellery, she said. "I hate when people say 'I couldn't get away with it'. That's my worst thing, so just really try to have fun with it."
