As I walked through the doors of the Limerick School of Art and Design, my expectations for the FLUX graduate exhibition were truly blown out of the water. The reception area alone was an explosion of colour and creativity.
The first piece of many that caught my eye was a unique dress by the Fashion Knitwear and Textiles graduate, Mary O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan’s ‘daytime denim’ piece is from a collection for the bold and independent person. She was inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s film adaption of ‘Romeo + Juliet’.
Speaking to the Limerick Post, Mary mentioned her designs were also inspired by the “religious iconography and literature” in the Shakespeare play. The young Limerick designer quoted one particular line from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet which sums up her work beautifully:
“When he shall die take him and cut him out into stars and he shall make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun.”
The dress certainly does remind you of stars sparkling in the night sky with Mary’s use of a variety of beads, sequin, and Swarovski crystals. The modern twist with the use of denim and the contemporary embellished corset adds to its allure.
The bravery to speak your mind and ride the creative wave with hardcore conviction flowed through the entire exhibition.
Read more about the exhibition here.
