Nokia Young Fashion Designer Awards 2009

Irish fashion peeps were out in full force last night for the Nokia Young Fashion Designer Award 2009. Brendan Courtney was compering while his Off The Rails co-host Sonya Lennon assumed the role of producer/stylist, adjusting models' OFs before they took to the catwalk. Considering the amount of people at the event – upwards of 400 – Sonya was enviably calm, never once barking orders into her headset or appearing stressed. I, on the other hand, nearly had a mini-panic attack because I was a so squished. The fashion scene in Dublin is remarkably democratic and seats (even the front row ones) were given out on a first-come-first-served basis, which meant those of us who had been too busy gossiping and eating canapes to get a seat were pushed into corners as the venue struggled to cope with the plethora of attendees. Brendan conducted events with pantomime lines such as, “I’m behind you!” and “Would anyone like a free mobile phone?”, but he kept schtum once the show got underway and 20 designers sent models down the runway in designs inspired by Nokia’s Supernova handset collection. Black and neon were the predominant hues and dresses with full skirts - bubble, lantern, etc - abounded. The judges, including a very gracious and polite Susie Bubble, awarded the top prize to Aoife Gallagher whilst Lynn Allen and Ciara Glynn were runner-ups.

Judge Susanna Lau of Stylebubble

NYFDA 2009 Finalists