This womenswear collection is a personal exploration of multicultural identity. Born in Ireland to a Cypriot mother and a Pakistani father, I’ve often felt a sense of cultural displacement—like an outsider within each of my heritages. Through this collection, I confront those emotions and begin to reclaim my identity by drawing from the elements of Irish, Pakistani, and Cypriot cultures that resonate most deeply with me and reimagine childhood memories. Iconic garments such as the Irish GAA jersey, the communion dress, the Pakistani shalwar, and Cypriot lace serve as key references throughout the collection. I also reflect on my childhood, embedding deeply personal symbols—like an Urdu word my father used to call me as a child, meaning daughter—which I’ve embroidered onto a reimagined GAA jersey. Referencing communion dresses, which I never had growing up, is another way I pay tribute to the cultural experiences I felt excluded from. Shirting and stripes appear as recurring motifs, creating a visual contrast and a unifying thread. To me, shirting is a garment language that exists across all cultures, and it became a symbol of connection in this work. This process of research and design has allowed me to redefine my sense of self—celebrating the complexity, contradiction, and beauty of being ‘In Between’.
