Wabi Sabi’s The Fabric of Us at DIFW 25

Dublin Independent Fashion Week 2025 reaffirmed that Ireland belongs on everyone’s radar as a fashion nation to watch. The talent showcased this year was unprecedented. Each show was a statement to the relentless hard work young Irish designers and brands have poured into their craft in recent years. Yet, more often than not, it’s not just about the clothes—there’s meaning in the threads, passion woven into each piece, and expression through art.

This was most evident in The Fabric of Us Show, curated by Wabi Sabi Collections, a fashion commentary brand that celebrates Irish design. This year’s show was particularly special, centred around four female Irish-based designers. I had the pleasure of attending both the afternoon and evening shows, and even got the chance to speak with its curator, Goodness Mphelo, and the four featured designers to uncover what this show and their pieces meant to them.

The shows took place in the heart of Dublin at The Pearse Centre, and consisted of several elements. On the ground floor was an exhibition of the designers’ works, accompanied by paintings and sculptures from various talented artists. Guests were encouraged to walk around and interact with the art—a vision Goodness described in a short speech between shows.

The Runway

The four featured designers were Tara Garvey Official, Sinéad O’Brien, Eimear Kennedy Design, and Casa Cor. Goodness’s idea of “interacting with fashion” began even before the audience entered the room. Models stood motionless like statues waiting to be discovered. Reflections on how fashion exists in every stage of life, whether we notice or not. From babies in onesies in to models in intricate knitwear, it surrounds and connects us.

Looks from all designers walked the runway at a slow, deliberate pace, allowing the clothes to speak for themselves. After the first half, Goodness warmly welcomed the audience and opened the floor to two designers, Tara Garvey and Eimear Kennedy, to share insights into their creative processes. The audience was then invited to ask questions—adding an intimate, conversational tone to the event.

The runway continued with the remaining collections, set to beautiful live performance by South African singer and pianist Oyena Sixaba. After the final looks, Sinéad O’Brien and Tamara Pastoriza of Casa Cor joined Goodness for another open Q&A, rounding off an evening of creativity and connection.

Explaining The Fabric of Us

Listening to Goodness, it was clear how personal and intimate The Fabric of Us was intended to be.

“I wanted to reimagine how we interact with clothes and fashion. Rather than us waiting for the clothes to enter the runway, I wanted you to walk into the clothes.”

Goodness expressed the show’s meaning with care during the intermissions. In an industry where we’re often left to interpret fashion alone, there was something profound about understanding the culture, backstory, and emotion behind the garments. Raised by a single mother on a farm in South Africa, Goodness recalls his mother’s voice being downplayed in a male-dominated farming industry. Witnessing her struggle inspired him to amplify women’s voices through every creative avenue—music, design, and art. Fittingly, every aspect of The Fabric of Us—from the clothes to the music to the artwork—was created by women.

Meet the Designers

To close the evening, we had the pleasure of briefly speaking with each designer about their collections and what the show meant to them.

Eimear Kennedy – Eimear Kennedy Designs

“So the collection is called Of Land and Lore. It's basically, to me, a celebration of Irish women, femininity, movement, and really the land and the stories that we tell and share together. I feel like for Irish women, there's a lot of stories of hardship and struggle. Those stories are woven into the fabric of the land and life, intergenerationally as well. I wanted to go as far back as those myths and legends and take positive feminist retellings of them. I've used different books to reinterpret this, and that's what I wanted to do today is to take all that wealth of history and legends and bring it into something that we can celebrate and embody today.”

Instagram: @eimearkennedydesign

Tamara Pastoriza – Casa Cor

“My full name is Tamara Pastoriza and I'm the founder of Casa Cor and I was partaking today here with Wabisabi.  We created a photo studio for people to try clothes on and have their picture taken by a photographer and we also just walked the runway!

So I do up cycling of secondhand clothing. All my materials come from mostly charity shops in Dublin and then I remake the clothes or paint on them, creating something new out of something old. 
I don't buy anything new. Yeah, it's kind of like a bit of an intuitive process. I didn't study fashion design, so I'm self- taught.”

Instagram: @casacordublin

Tara Garvey – Tara Garvey Official

“My name is Tara Garvey and I own a fashion brand called Tara Garvey Official. It's family run. Sustainably made in Ireland. All my knit jumpers are hand made by my granny and myself. It's based on modern heritage, I suppose. So we put a spin on timeless, Irish designs, but add modern colour.”

Instagram: @taragarveyofficial

Sinéad O’Brien – By Sinéad

“Today means a lot for me because I just graduated, so having an opportunity like this as a graduate designer, I think is really beautiful. 
I put a lot of work into my graduate collection, so to be able to see it in an atmosphere like this is really, really lovely. The collection is inspired by my upbringing. 
I grew up living in different countries. So it takes inspiration from the cultures that have shaped me as well as my Irish and South African heritage.”

Instagram: @by_sinead

The dedication and care put into curating the show — and every piece exhibited — is a testament to the hard work the Irish fashion scene has invested in recent years. The Fabric of Us reflected the passion and love these young designers have for their craft. Goodness Mphelo’s drive to create a platform for female artists of all kinds is nothing short of inspirational, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing Wabi Sabi in the spotlight very soon. We Thank you again to Goodness for such a warm welcome — be sure to return for DIFW 2026.

Written by Jack Murray(jack.mrry)

Edited by Niall Carey(Niall.030)