Ashley McDonnell.@ash.mcdonnell, Instagram
It's been years in the making, but for Galway woman Ashley McDonnell, dreams have become a reality as the inaugural Ireland Fashion Week kicks off in a few short months.
Speaking to EVOKE about her biggest career pinch-me moment to date, it seems that the blatantly obvious answer for Ashley is the launch of her brainchild IFW.
But, when asked to delve a bit deeper, the well-travelled Puig director shared a recent encounter that made her take a step back and realise the gravity of the full-circle moment she had crafted.
Ashley, who spoke to EVOKE when Ireland Fashion Week announced its official beauty partnership with SOSU Cosmetics and Dripping Gold, recalled: "One of the big moments in the past couple of weeks, in particular, is the people I've gotten to speak with.
"Last week, I was in Paris and I was invited to a luxury conference, and I was sat beside an elderly man and he was telling me the story of his life. It turns out he was one of the original people behind the Cartier brand, and he was 91 years old. He gave me a lift home by the way!"
"I was telling him about Ireland Fashion Week. When I arrived at that dinner, he gave me his business card, which had his name and just 'Cartier' on it," Ashley recounted.
"I told him about the vision for Ireland Fashion Week and he thought it was absolutely fantastic.
"The Cartier family used to go to Ireland a lot, and they stayed at Ballynahinch Castle a lot, and we're going to have one of our fashion shows at Ballynahinch Castle, so I really feel it's a full circle moment for Ireland to be on the map in its own right and not just be a holiday destination for brands and creatives from other parts of the world, who saw it as somewhere that inspired them but couldn't actually have any claim to the island."
Ashley is all in when it comes to Ireland Fashion Week, and is so confident in her vision and its success that she also spoke to EVOKE about her 10-year plan.
"We've got a full 10-year plan in place," the Galway woman told us. "Our tech fund alone this year is €7.5 million, and our investment into show and event production is €1 million- that's not for a one-off, that is a really long-term strategic investment.
"So, the goal is that we do every year. You have two major fashion months where it starts in New York, and then goes to London, and then Milan and Paris, and actually Ireland slots in directly after, so we're not competing with other major fashion weeks."
This prompted the fashionista to recall another incredible pinch-me moment in which she achieved her dream of literally putting Ireland on the map.
She told us: "[A few] weeks ago, Vogue included us in its upcoming European Fashion Week schedule, for the first time ever, Ireland is literally on the actual map. I almost cried when I saw it. I couldn't believe it. I didn't expect that to happen.
"So, I think already international media, press, influencers, and celebrities, they know we mean business and this is a long-term plan."
"So, the beginning of October every year will have the actual shows, but we will kick off in March with a book launch, covering the previous year, then April applications open, May they're ongoing, June we start to announce designers, and designers will then have July, August and September to prep their collections and do our brand bootcamps and whatnot before shows start again," Ashley said of the full steam ahead annual schedule.
Shaping up to be a must-attend event, Ireland Fashion Week will comprise of seven jaw-dropping shows featuring a combination of Ireland's most celebrated names in the world of fashion as well as emerging designers.
Among these seven shows, there will be three flagship shows in breathtaking heritage locations, and two spotlight shows featuring Ireland’s sporting success and rich culture through fashion.
Fashion lovers can also look forward to a graduate show, which celebrates students of design, and a show for independent and emerging designers to help spotlight Irish roots.
And as if that wasn't enough for your calendar, there will also be unmissable events from high-profile fashion dinners to a month-long exhibition to frequent.
Forget New York, Milan, Paris, and London, Ireland is exactly where you want to be this October 6 through 10!
*This article was originally published on Evoke.ie.