The Standing Ground Exhibition will open at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks on Wednesday 11^th November . A collaboration between the National Museum, the Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI)  and the French Embassy in Ireland,  with support from 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 voices in contemporary fashion. 

Curated by Natalie Coleman and Eibhlín Doran, alongside Dónal Maguire, Keeper of the Art and Industrial Division of the National Museum of Ireland, the exhibition presents two gowns by Irish designer Michael Stewart, that were unveiled at Paris Haute Couture Week in July 2026.

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 Monaghan tradition dates to 1820 and was inspired by French and Italian appliqué. Its intricate, delicate work relies on intergenerational skills, given new expression here through contemporary design.

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.
   
From Co. Clare, Michael Stewart is the founder and creative director of Standing Ground, an Irish womenswear label celebrated for sculptural designs, architectural precision and poetic minimalism. In 2024, he became the first winner of the LVMH Savoir-Faire Prize for his brand. Recognising craftsmanship, technical innovation and sustainability, the prize led to a one-year mentorship with Maison Vermont. He is among a generation of Irish designers working at the highest level of international fashion.

The “Standing Ground: Ireland-France, Savoir-Faire, Innovation and the Future of Crafts” exhibition, opens at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks on Wednesday, 11 November, 2026 and runs until Sunday, 10 January, 2027.