Don O’Neill and Roisin Fitzpatrick - art and fashion take center stage at NYC’s Irish consulate

Intimate setting plays host to top Irish designers and artists

Over 200 people packed into the Irish Consulate in New York on Monday night, for a celebration of Irish fashion and art.

Fashion designer to the stars Don O’Neill from Co. Kerry, and artist of the light, Dubliner Roisin Fitzpatrick, showcased their creations in the intimate setting.

The collaboration saw the gathered crowd first enjoy Fitzpatrick’s contemporary art, which has been on exhibition in the consulate for the past two months, before a fashion show of O’Neill’s Theia collection took place.

Celebrities such as American actress Angela Bassett proudly wore a stunning black creation from Theia on the night, while many other women dressed in O’Neill’s designs.

Coming from the man who has dressed stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman and Taylor Swift,  O’Neill gestured at the crowd as he told the Irish Voice, “The women here are all drop dead gorgeous.”

“What an honor as a designer, to be in the Irish Consulate of New York,” he added.

To kick start the night’s event, Fitzpatrick addressed the crowd. The Dublin-based artist explained how a near death experience inspired her artistic creation.

“A few years ago, I was very fortunate, I know it sounds crazy to say that, but I was very fortunate to have a near death experience,” the artist told the crowd.

Having previously worked at the United Nations, European Commission and European Bank, Fitzpatrick decided to create a series of contemporary artworks, the Artist of the Light® collection, after she suffered a brain aneurysm.

“The only thing that matters in life is treating everybody with respect, living a life of joy and following my passion and sharing the light with people.

“That is what I have done through this art,” the artist told the gathered crowd.

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“I am constantly inspired. It’s always about tapping into the light within,” she later told the Irish Voice.

Using clear Swarovski crystal, hand sewn onto white silk canvas, Fitzpatrick has created 40 pieces to date. The intricate detail of this contemporary approach to art offers a delicate marriage of art and light.

Fitzpatrick, a Trinity College graduate, spoke at length about how Celtic history was a big source of inspiration for her individual designs, including her pieces Newgrange and IAHM Celtic Design.

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Nster.com