Hats off pop-up fashion

Daily Fashion Juice
Monday, May 30, 2011

Hats off to pop-up fashion

By Emma Kennedy

Department store Harvey Nichols has launched its first pop-up shop as part of a campaign to support Irish designers.

The retailer has invited two Irish hat designers, Martha Lynn and Edel Ramberg, to show their collections at its Dundrum Town Centre outlet for two and a half weeks.

‘‘It’s our first in-store pop-up," said the retailer’s spokeswoman. ‘‘Pop-ups are a trend at the moment so we are using this as a pilot and seeing how it goes before planning any others."

As part of the project, Lynn and Ramberg will be available for personal consultations in millinery style. ‘‘They are already booked out for the first weekend, and as it’s proving popular, we’ll definitely be looking into doing some more pop-ups," said the spokeswoman.

‘‘Hats are very popular now after Philip Treacy designed for the royal wedding, and with the racing season coming up."

Dublin-based Lynn interned with leading milliners, including Treacy and Stephen Jones. Galway-born Ramberg also interned with Treacy and launched her first collection last year.

‘‘It’s a good way for us to support Irish designers," the retailer’s spokeswoman said. ‘‘We gave them a space in our accessories department as it has the highest footfall and people will see them straight away when they come in." The pop-up shop will run until Saturday, June 12.