It was operation transformation for sustainable activist Fionnuala Moran and her old net curtains! This girl had an awards to go and so The Zip Yard came to the rescue…
THE PLAN
“The talented team in Zipyard turned the project around in no time at all!” Fionnuala tells VIP Magazine.
“I brought the material to them on Saturday and they took my measurements. To select the style, I showed them some different elements of dresses I loved on Pinterest and we agreed some drama was fitting for the red carpet. We opted for a backless, high-neck style with a dramatic skirt. Then Valda in the Blanchardstown branch put the dress together in just half a day. I was so impressed and when they did the big reveal it was unfathomable that it had been net curtains mere days before. We did some final alterations on Tuesday and it was all ready for its red carpet moment.”
THE VISION
“Given my nomination in the Home & Lifestyle category, it was lovely to pay homage to our secondhand home. As we go about renovating the 1950s Dublin house to commence its second chapter, paying tribute to its first era felt really fitting and gorgeous. The net curtains are vintage and it felt wonderful to give them a new lease of life when textile waste is such an issue at present,” she continued.
“Fashion is responsible for 8 to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions so getting creative with reusing materials we already have is one way to curb that. The dress also comprised of a white slip skirt that belonged to my mum and had been in our dressing-up box growing up. The culmination of these elements brought me so much joy, and what better way to slide from Secondhand September into Reuse Month this October!”
THE PROJECT
“This was a highly enjoyable project. It certainly broadened our outlook on sustainable fashion taking an item such as a net curtain and transforming into the bespoke dress Fionnuala wore so elegantly to the award ceremony,” Team Zip Yard added.
THE TIMELINE
They continued: “This dress and project were turned around within one week. In total eight hours were spent on this project from consultation, measurements, fitting, design, cutting, execution and final fitting. Fionnuala arrived with a variety of ideas and suggested designs which were developed with our style-accredited Front of House, Almira and vastly experienced seamstress, Valda. Together we agreed on an overall design concept centred on the curtain material from Fionnuala’s house.”
THE CHALLENGES
“The curtains presented certain challenges as a stiff material and they were a different colour which limited the amount of material available. Therefore, it was suggested by Valda to have a shorter front with a long trail on the back for the full red carpet experience. Fionnuala wanted a bow as a feature so on her second final fitting we had added at the back of the neck above the open back of the dress. The neckline to the front of the dress was high and how Fionnuala visualised it from the outset,” they added.
For your red carpet check out The Zip Yard, which has 23 ground floor easy-to-access stores nationwide. To find your nearest store head over to thezipyard.ie; Instagram: zipyardalterations