Courses
ATU alumni feature across Irish Fashion Week 2026
Fashion graduates of Atlantic Technological University (ATU) were represented across a number of events and media features during the second Irish Fashion Week, with their designs appearing across showcases, media coverage and industry events.
Among those featured was Anna Ní Mháirtín, founder of Annastasia Studios and a graduate of ATU Donegal’s Fashion Design with Promotion programme. Ní Mháirtín appeared in IMAGE Magazine’s special 50th anniversary edition and was profiled in its Meet the Future of Fashion feature, where she credited ATU’s personalised learning environment and small class sizes with supporting her development as a designer.
Mary Gallagher, Head of the Department of Design and Creative Media at ATU, said:
“The Design and Creative Media Department is immensely proud of the outstanding achievements of our fashion graduates. Irish Fashion Week provides a prestigious platform for showcasing the exceptional creativity and talent emerging from Ireland, and we are delighted that our graduates received such well-deserved recognition for their work. With Irish fashion enjoying growing international attention, it is especially rewarding to see our graduates contributing to the industry’s success while establishing themselves as the next generation of creative talent.”
ATU graduates Declan Kerrigan, Emma McKinney and Hollie Marie Gallagher were among the designers selected to present new collections at the DAMHSA Graduate Show, a flagship event of Irish Fashion Week that brought together graduate fashion talent from across Ireland.
Declan Kerrigan, founder and creative director of Kapaeri, presented a collection that showcased his contemporary approach to Irish fashion. During Irish Fashion Week, his designs were worn by festival founder and VYK Group CEO Ashley McDonnell and by Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha.
Emma McKinney, founder of MANIAC, brought colour and creative flair to the showcase with a vibrant look incorporating remnant leathers and reflecting her commitment to experimental and sustainable design.
Fellow graduate Hollie Marie Gallagher, founder of Dare to Howl, presented an architectural statement piece combining Magee 1866 Donegal Tweed and taffeta, reimagining traditional Irish textiles through a contemporary lens.
Earlier this year, Gallagher also designed an outfit for actress Siobhán McSweeney for The Traitors Ireland, using Magee 1866 Donegal Tweed and deadstock taffeta.
For more information on the Fashion Design with Promotion course ATU, visit Fashion Design with Promotion – Atlantic Technological University.
Photo caption: Emma McKinney, ATU graduate and founder of MANIAC.
For media enquiries, contact:
Aidan Haughey
Communications Manager
Tel: 086 086 6913
E: aidan.haughey@atu.ie
