Punk-inspired fashion competition comes to Belfast in March

Defying Gravity: A Punk Odyssey is a punk-inspired fashion competition. It’s due to make its debut on March 16th at the Banana Block, Belfast. The venue is a thriving events space and living museum in East Belfast, making the unique venue the ideal location for the eccentric celebration of homegrown talent to honour a true punk and style icon.

The project was designed with British punk figure and original guest judge, Jordan Mooney, as the central premise, who has however since passed as of April 2022. Honouring the icon’s towering legacy, as well as showcasing the best of Belfast’s creative sector, it provides the space for a diverse range of local fashion designers to display their work and talent, as well as entering them into a chance to win an immersive work experience with a major TV network and a £1000 cash prize.

There to offer their world-beating expertise on that night are Glasgow designer Pam Hogg, award-winning Belfast hairdresser and stylist Paul Stafford, fashion designer and illustrator Sara O’Neill and London musician Marco Pirroni.

With Belfast about to be bestowed the prestigious UNESCO City of Music status, Defying Gravity also serves as a carefully-curated celebration of Belfast’s rich musical heritage- and all of its punk iterations and expressions right across the Northern city’s creative sector. Featuring models and choreography by Style Academy, a live soundtrack by acclaimed Belfast producer & DJ Phil Kieran, A/V from Visual Spectrum, visuals and film courtesy of Stephen Hackett, and costume design experience by Cathy Prior (Derry Girls, Channel 4, BBC, Netflix, Paramount+), the city's most beloved broadcaster and Coronation Street appreciator, Julian Simmons, will also compere on the night.

Co-founder Sinead Green said, “We are holding this event at The Banana Block, a living museum in the heart of East Belfast which is fast becoming a favourite venue for the music community in Belfast.”

“It is borne from our friendship with Jordan Mooney, and in tribute to her - hence the name Defying Gravity, the title of her memoirs detailing her life and career from its beginnings working in Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s King Road boutique to becoming a countercultural icon. She was our original guest judge and as she passed away last year, we wanted to continue with the show in her memory and deliver something that she would be proud to be a part of,” she continued.

Adding to this, Green went on to say, “We want to create an annual event that showcases and engages with multiple disciplines across the creative industries in Belfast, but with a celebration of music being at its core. We believe that in doing this collaboratively, we can build a strong team of industry professionals to ensure that this musically-inspired showcases can be a fixture in Belfast’s calendars, as not only a musical event but also a fashion and AV event too.”

Tickets for this event can be purchased via Starr Records website.