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2 months ago | 
inkedmag.com | Elaine Maguire O'Connor
When luxury watch brand Hublot announced its first collection with tattoo artist Maxime Plescia-Büchi back in 2016, eyebrows were undoubtedly raised. What could the LVMH-owned Hublot, which sells watches for tens of thousands of dollars, possibly have in common with the world of tattoos, more readily associated with subcultures and a DIY ethos?
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Mar 3, 2025 | 
fashionispsychology.com | Elaine Maguire O'Connor
Named for the actress Jane Birkin, the Hermès Birkin bag was introduced in 1984 and quickly cemented its place as the world’s most coveted handbag. But, with a price point upwards of $10,000 and limited availability, securing one remains out of reach for the majority of consumers. According to a flood of viral videos on TikTok however, you can find an almost identical bag in Walmart – the US discount store – for just $80.
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Feb 12, 2025 | 
inkedmag.com | Elaine Maguire O'Connor
When Machine Gun Kelly debuted his blackout tattoo, the internet was quick to react. Accusations of cultural appropriation and comparisons with blackface sprang up on Instagram comments. Others defended his tattoo as being unconnected to race and, instead, a method of covering up old, unwanted ink without going through the pain of laser removal. MGK wasn’t the first celebrity at the center of an internet storm for his tattoo choice.
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Nov 30, 2024 | 
thejournal.ie | Elaine Maguire O'Connor |Christina Finn |Diarmuid Pepper
ON THE INTERNATIONAL stage, the story of Irish fashion this year has been a successful one. Designer Michael Stewart won the prestigious Louis Vuitton Savoir-Faire Prize for his modern womenswear brand Standing Ground and Jonathan Anderson continued to reign supreme at luxury fashion house Loewe. But for smaller brands, working and operating out of Ireland, success has proven much harder to come by.
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Nov 5, 2024 | 
irishtimes.com | Elaine Maguire O'Connor
There’s a stark disconnect between the beauty industry’s environmental promises and the realities of how it operates. Ninety five per cent of beauty packaging is thrown away, according to a recent report by the British Beauty Council. As a result, approximately 120 billion units of packaging from paper, glass and metals end up in landfill where they emit methane and carbon dioxide, polluting the air and contributing to climate change.
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Oct 26, 2024 | 
thejournal.ie | Elaine Maguire O'Connor
READING THE INGREDIENT list of any beauty product can be a mildly alarming experience. Chemicals like cetrimonium chloride and sodium acrylate are omnipresent yet few of us have any idea what they do or why they’re used in our favourite moisturiser. Coupled with the mounting concern at the impact plastic bottles and containers have on the environment, it’s little surprise that so many are looking for cleaner and more sustainable alternatives.
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Sep 29, 2024 | 
irishtimes.com | Elaine Maguire O'Connor
The Substance, a recently released horror movie, takes aim at Hollywood’s glaring obsession with youth. It stars Demi Moore as a 50-year-old celebrity who uses a black-market drug to create a younger, better version of herself. It is extreme, over-the-top, gory and appears to be set in another world. But while the plotline might stretch credulity, the movie’s bleak commentary on society’s warped and unattainable beauty standards rings alarmingly true.
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Sep 17, 2024 | 
irishtimes.com | Elaine Maguire O'Connor
In Paris next week, Dubliner Sean McGirr will showcase his second collection for fashion powerhouse Alexander McQueen, where he took the helm last year, adding to the roll call of Irish success stories in the world of high fashion. For a small country, Ireland’s creative contribution to the fashion industry is nothing short of extraordinary. But our love affair with clothing has a flipside.
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Aug 14, 2024 | 
fashionunited.com | Elaine Maguire O'Connor
Spanish fast fashion giant Mango released its new ‘Mango Teen’ advertising campaign last month to much fanfare. At first glance, the advert – featuring a model wearing a colourful cropped top, posed against a desert backdrop – is similar to a plethora of other summer campaigns aimed at teenage girls. But upon closer scrutiny, something else becomes clear – none of it is real.
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Aug 9, 2024 | 
irishtimes.com | Elaine Maguire O'Connor
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