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HEMLINES STRAW BOYS AND TULLE SWATHES Stacey Wall
- the sole Irish designer to score a place on Peroni’s Fashion Studio programme - conjures up her creative approach for AW19 words Amelia O’Mahony-Brady When The House of Peroni announced its plans to merge a mentorship scheme with an impressive studio space, devising a seven-month programme that would spawn an on-schedule appearance at London Fashion Week, it’s little wonder that prospective candidates flocked from across the UK. After whittling down all manner of enthused entrants, eight designers were chosen for their inherent individualism and thirst for self-improvement; a new generation primed to take the emerging-talent baton that (Christopher) Kane and (Mary) Katrantzou once clutched. Debuting a Creative Council that was crammed with industry heavyweights – including the talent-spotting eyes of Pandora Sykes, Anna Orsini and Jonathan Saunders – The Fashion Studio programme was embraced as the latest addition to London’s ever-evolving incubator hubs, the veterans of which range from On|Off to Fashion East. Considering the city’s ongoing love affair with Irish creatives – Simone Rocha and Richard Malone, among many others, command rapt attention each fashion month – it comes as no surprise that a Cork-born, Central Saint Martins-trained designer landed a coveted spot on the scheme. Before getting to know the character behind the cloth, I first became acquainted with Stacey Wall through her graduate collection. At first glance, these garments looked like a masterclass in design dexterity: multi-layered silhouettes that screamed tactility, tulle and lace in shades of rich red and luscious cream. Rather than absorb them from afar as they floated down a catwalk, The House of Peroni staged a static exhibition of Wall’s pieces over the summer, allowing Irish fashion admirers a 360° scan of her work. It quickly became clear that her creative ethos was in harmony with London’s most celebrated young designers, Irish or otherwise, as her ability to weave compelling narratives through the medium of clothes was unmistakable. I spoke with Wall around the start of her time with Peroni. At that stage, she had clocked up several weeks in their streamlined design 20