Carrickmacross Lace dress features at National Museum exhibition

A Carrickmacross Lace Dress, hand-drawn by Irish designer Michael Stewart, and translated entirely by hand into Carrickmacross lace by commissioned artisans in County Monaghan, is one of the dresses to feature at Standing Ground: Ireland-France, Savoir-Faire, Innovation and the Future of Crafts, a new exhibition that opened to the public at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks on Wednesday 11 November and runs until 10 January 2027.

A collaboration between the National Museum and Design & Crafts Council Ireland, with support from the French Embassy in Ireland and Maison Vermont and LVMH Métiers d’Excellence, the exhibition features two dresses by Standing Ground, the fashion atelier founded in 2022 by Irish designer Michael Stewart– one of the most significant voicers in contemporary fashion.

The exhibition is a highlight of the 2026 DCCI Irish Design Week, which takes place this week, and it brings Irish heritage craft, French haute couture and contemporary fashion into conversation, exploring how traditional making skills can evolve and inspire future generations.

On display - for the first time in Ireland - are two dresses from Standing Ground’s first couture collection, presented at the Embassy of Ireland in Paris in July 2026, including a gown created entirely in hand-worked Carrickmacross lace, made with commissioned artisans in County Monaghan.

The Carrickmacross Lace Dress was hand-drawn by Michael Stewart and translated entirely by hand into Carrickmacross lace by commissioned artisans in County Monaghan.

Requiring 4,300 hours to complete, the lace demonstrates extraordinary technical precision and brings together Standing Ground’s couture vision with a lace-making tradition more than 200 years old.

Each individual motif in the dress was developed in relation to every other, forming a unified artwork shaped by the body. The intricate design comprises botanical and natural elements such as brambles, thorns, blackberries and dragonflies.

The dress was created with support from DCCI and The Heritage Council.

The Maison Vermont Dress will also be on display. Michael Stewart was the inaugural recipient of the prestigious LVMH Savoir-Faire Prize in 2024, which gave his Standing Ground atelier the opportunity to collaborate with Maison Vermont, the renowned French haute couture embroidery house under Dior.

The Maison Vermont Dress is a corseted dress featuring a bustier hand-embroidered by Maison Vermont, paired with a draped silk-velvet skirt. Involving more than 500 hours of work, the embroidery combines hand-applied beads, crystal beads and synthetic black opals that trace the contours of the body.

Using vermicelli beadwork worked with a Lunéville hook, the densely textured surface creates a signature ‘caviar’ effect, evoking stardust, comet trails and crocodilian armour.

Together, the dresses tell the story of the designer and makers who brought them to life, showing how centuries-old traditional Irish and French making skills can be transformed through contemporary design.

Through the garment and accompanying documentation, photography and film, visitors to Standing Ground: Ireland-France, Savoir-Faire, Innovation and the Future of Crafts can follow the journey from the first stitch to the final presentation in Paris, discovering the collaboration between designer, artisan and maker that transformed Irish heritage craft into contemporary couture.

Curated by Natalie B Coleman and Eibhlín Albert Doran, alongside Dónal Maguire, Keeper of the Art and Industry at the National Museum of Ireland, the exhibition provides a rare, widely accessible, opportunity to encounter Irish heritage craft, French haute couture techniques, and contemporary fashion in conversation.

This exhibition is organised by Design & Crafts Council Ireland, in collaboration with the French Embassy in Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland and funded by DCCI with support from Maison Vermont and LVMH Métiers d’Excellence.

On the occasion of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, this exhibition showcases fine craftsmanship, the transmission of knowledge, and creative innovation through vibrant Franco-Irish and European partnerships.

Carrickmacross Lace artisan who lives in Carrickmacross, Martha Hughes said: “The collaboration with Standing Ground was a wonderful experience and a very exciting and enjoyable project.”

Carrickmacross Lace artisan who lives in Carrickmacross, Theresa O’Kelly said: “It was an amazing experience. The dress is so wonderful.

“The design slowly unfolded as each panel arrived and it was only when we saw the dress on the model in Paris, we finally seen the full extent of our heritage craft. Contemporary Haute Couture dress with Michael Stewart of Standing Ground was a monumental achievement for all involved, and an amazing experience.”

The exhibition was officially launched at an event in the National Museum, Collins Barracks by Niamh Smyth TD, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment with responsibility for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation, who said; “During Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Standing Ground: Ireland-France, Savoir-Faire, Innovation and the Future of Crafts exhibition shows what creative partnership between Ireland and France can achieve.

“In these two gowns, we see what happens when an Irish designer works with lacemakers in Carrickmacross and specialist embroiderers in Paris, bringing two distinct skills and traditions into his couture collection.

“It’s a fitting expression of this year’s Irish Design Week theme, Fáilte Future Europe, and a reminder of what European designers and makers can create when they share their expertise.”

Dr Éimear O’Connor, Interim Director, and Director of Collections and Access at the National Museum of Ireland, said: “Craft and design are closely connected, with a shared place in Ireland’s cultural heritage.

“Standing Ground invites audiences to look afresh at the traditions held within our collections through the work of a contemporary designer. Seeing these gowns up close at Collins Barracks is a rare chance to appreciate the hands behind them, and to see how a living tradition continues to inspire.”

Mary Blanchfield, Chief Executive Officer of Design & Crafts Council Ireland said: “This gown tells a story about Carrickmacross lace and the people who have kept the craft alive for more than 200 years. Michael Stewart’s respect for the skill of the lacemakers is evident in the dress.

“As his work has gained international recognition, he has brought that Carrickmacross tradition into the spotlight, showing what it can bring to contemporary fashion. DCCI is proud to have supported the making of the gown, alongside The Heritage Council, and we are grateful to the National Museum of Ireland, the French Embassy in Ireland, Maison Vermont and LVMH Métiers d’Excellence for helping us bring this exhibition to the public.

“Commissions like this give makers the opportunity to put specialist skills to work in new ways and give the next generation a reason to learn them.”

Her Excellency Céline Place, French Ambassador to Ireland, said; “We are proud to present the exhibition Standing Ground: Ireland–France – Savoir-Faire, Innovation and the Future of Crafts, alongside Design & Crafts Council Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland, as a highlight of Irish Design Week.

“The dialogue between Parisian haute couture embroidery and centuries-old Irish lacemaking celebrates the expertise of makers and the transmission of skills and knowledge across borders.

“Through the LVMH Savoir-Faire Prize, this cross-cultural exchange brings together Michael Stewart and the historic Parisian embroidery house Maison Vermont, showcasing the excellence of our creative ecosystems and highlighting how heritage and traditional skills can inspire innovation and shape the future of craft.

Natalie B. Coleman, Exhibition Curator, Fashion Designer and Lecturer at the National College of Art and Design, said: “An important part of this project has been changing the context in which Carrickmacross lace is seen.

“Rather than being viewed solely as an historical craft or a relic of our cultural heritage, we have demonstrated that it is a living, evolving art form with enormous relevance to contemporary fashion.

“By bringing the extraordinary skill of the Carrickmacross lace-makers into dialogue with international designers and the world of couture, we are creating new opportunities for this heritage to evolve, reach new audiences and be valued by future generations.

“This is about honouring the past while firmly establishing Carrickmacross lace within the future of fashion.”

DCCI Irish Design Week is a nationwide celebration spanning fashion, architecture, craft and other design disciplines, exploring how creativity shapes Ireland’s identity, communities and future.

Standing Ground: Ireland-France, Savoir-Faire, Innovation and the Future of Crafts opens to the public at the National Museum, at Collins Barracks tomorrow, Wednesday 11 November 2026 and runs until10 January 2027. Admission is free.