FASHION past and present and the wealth of style and design talent on Shannonside will be given a home of their own in the new Limerick Museum of Fashion.
The new museum will be a permanent home to Limerick Lace and Sybil Connolly Collections as well as fashion incubator, giving Limerick and the region’s brightest fashion design talent a new space for collaboration to develop their businesses and showcase their creations.
The two iconic collections, currently being showcased on a temporary basis at the Limerick Museum and the Hunt Gallery, are set to move to a new building on the site of the former Mary Street Garda Station.
Mayor John Moran had hoped to earmark the abandoned Garda barracks site for a fashion incubator under his mayoral programme.
Since then, work has begun to make the site safe after years of vacancy andย will be rebuilt recognising the building’s status as a protected structure.
Mayor Moran announced a steering committee to help drive the project, including leading academics; the directors of the Limerick Museum and the Hunt Gallery; a specialist in Limerick Lace; one of Ireland’s most successful models and fashion industry executives; and the director of the fashion incubator in Limerick’s twin-city of Austin, Texas.
The members of the commitee are Celia Holman Lee, Matthew Potter, Mike Fitzpatrick, Teresa Crowley, and Nina Means.
Mayor Moran said that his mayoral programme “looks to establish a hub where we can celebrate our fashion culture, champion our fashion talent, and create real opportunity”.
“I’m thrilled to be able to announce a significant step towards actioning that ambition for Limerick into a reality. Giving permanent homes to Limerick Lace and the Sybil Connolly Collection will honour our creative legacy, as well as setting the stage for a vibrant future.”
The Mayor said the new fashion museum “is also another key project that feeds into our broader desire to provide better amenities and public realm, better serving all the community across King’s Island”.
“This is a real opportunity for us to stitch another thread into the fabric a modern, confident and thriving Limerick city centre.”
Work is expected to start on the site following Council approval.
