February 27, 2018

WEARINGIRISH NYC 2018

What: WearingIrish is a movement spearheaded by Margaret Molloy, who in 2016, set out to tell the untold story of contemporary Irish fashion design by using the power of social media. The movement champions Irish designers and their world-class creations. After capturing the imagination of shoppers, press, and influencers on both sides of the Atlantic, now is the time to reveal the next phase in the WearingIrish movement.

WearingIrish NYC 2018 will take place from May 15th to 17th at Bank of Ireland startlab NYC, neighboring the iconic Grand Central Terminal. Eight of Ireland’s best fashion and accessories designers will be flown to New York for a showcase program with the city’s fashion movers and shakers where they will spend 48 hours meeting potential customers, networking with guests and forging connections to accelerate growth. The program will be packed with expert panelists and plenty of guests, eager to discover Ireland’s untold fashion story.

Partners supporting the event include the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, through Ireland’s Consulate in New York, Tourism Ireland, CIE Tours and Enterprise Ireland. The growing panel of judges and advisors include current and former merchants, executives, creative directors, influencers and editors from Bloomingdale’s, Accessories Council, Victoria’s Secret, Stella & Dot, Theia, Tadashi, Kate Spade, Navy Exchange, Harvard University, Gilt Groupe and Retro Flame.

Click here for more information.

Applications close on March 5th and winners, selected by a panel of judges, will be announced during Bank of Ireland’s Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations on March 16th in New York.

When: May 15 - 17, 2018
Where: Bank of Ireland Startlab, NYC



WearingIrish NYC 2018 presents the designers an unprecedented brand building, learning, and growth opportunity. Notable benefits include:
  • Direct exposure and access to hundreds of US consumers and fashion influencers over two days, including select members of the New York fashion community, Irish diaspora, and other relevant groups
  • Forum to market designs to guests in May to fulfill at a later date
  • Immense potential for long-term relationship building with future customers by collecting contact information for follow-up marketing and customer referrals campaigns
  • Insights from consumers on demand for the products, pricing fit, preferred marketing channels, all to help assess the potential for scaling the brand in the US
  • Exposure in traditional and social media
  • Ample content creation opportunities for future promotional materials
  • Opportunity to be among the early story makers in the WearingIrish movement and play a role in sharing the untold story