Holly Bell, Interviewed by Kyla Campbell and Timothy Ollis
The Northern Irish fashion scene is fresh, bright, and inspiring. For Ulster University graduate, Holly Bell, this certainly rings true. Holly is among the many talented young fashion designers from Belfast paving her way in the industry.
Having graduated only last year with a BA in Textile Art, Design, and Fashion, Holly has already achieved many incredible accomplishments so early in her career. She’s designed for Ireland Fashion Week 2025, had her work featured in several publications including the May 2026 issue of Moevir Paris, and is in the process of designing for Ireland Fashion Week 2026. Holly’s work is intentional, beautiful, and circular. Emotion is especially prevalent in her garments, and her designs aim to turn emotion into wearable art. “Fashion you can feel” is the principle of her work and feeling is precisely what it evokes. We were lucky enough to get the chance to interview Holly at her home in Belfast and chat with her about her design process, how sustainability inspires her work, and her experience participating in Ireland Fashion Week, among many other things.
On Designing and her Graduate Collection
How did you start designing?
Holly: I love this question, actually. So, for me, it kind of started when I was really young. I always loved creating and when I was in primary school – I was in P7, so we were about 11 – we had this competition to design a uniform for an airline. I just thought that it was great that you can use your creativity to create something 3D and functioning, and I think that was key for me. It was the functionality of fashion merged with creativity. So, then I decided to study fashion in A levels and then I went to university and just really fell in love with the craft of sewing and the whole process behind making pieces. There’s so much involved and so much of your personality can go into something, and it’s really beautiful to see it come to life.
You’ve done so many wonderful things already and you’ve accomplished so much so early in your career. What was the first accomplishment that really made you realize, “wow, I’m actually doing it?”
Holly: I suppose it was probably my degree show. Once we finished up with university, it was the first time I’d seen my pieces on a body and like… in their function. Like I said, back when I really got into fashion, that was the thing that really intrigued me – how fashion could be functional and worn and appreciated in that way. So, I think seeing them come down the runway was a really exciting moment. Very surreal.
Let’s talk about your graduate collection, Gladrags. Tell me about this collection. What does the title mean? What inspired you?
Holly: So, Gladrags, the name sort of came because my work is all based on emotions and trying to uplift people. That’s the ‘glad’ part. Then, the ‘rags’ is basically because everything has been upcycled and it’s been taken from things that were probably considered rags before, but they’ve been uplifted and upcycled into something new. That’s the reason behind the name. Everything was inspired by emotions and metaphors. So, I was able to take the four seasons and then translate and relate them to an emotion. Spring, summer, autumn, winter was then related to optimism, joy, anxiety, sadness. I came to the conclusion across my collection that our emotions are all linked to the same seasons, they’re cyclical. We feel our emotions and then they go away, and then they’ll come back, and then the cycle repeats.
The circle actually became a really key concept for me, and it ended up becoming a running thread across my collection. The circle is a key motif. It also represents the need for circular systems in our industry, so it’s all kind of connected that way. That was part of my inspiration – the emotions and the metaphors, but then also having sustainability really inform my design process.
As I said, I work circular and everything’s upcycled, even the hardware – all the zips, all the buttons that I use to create those circles. Each piece is tested with a lot of sampling. By using upcycled pieces, then this changes the actual outcome of how my pieces look, because everything is upcycled or deadstock. Sustainability in my work, it’s not only the environment, but it’s emotional. So, I allow the emotions of the fabrics that come from the past to really guide my design process. For a lot of the pieces, I can breathe new life into their stories as they pass from generation to generation.
On Sustainability and Circular Fashion
What moments during your time at Ulster University shaped the way you think about clothing today?
Holly: Love that question. There’s so many I suppose, from the way things have panned out. In first year, I remember we had a module on sustainability, and I think that really addressed the need and the problem of waste and disposal. It gave me this sense of urgency in that I can’t just decide, “oh I will be sustainable”. It was like, no I have to be sustainable from the get-go. So, I think that really shaped me from then onwards, how I approach design and with my collections. Everything is really rooted in sustainability and the fabric-first approach for circular designs. So, I think that module was really pivotal for my development from there.
What does circular fashion mean to you and why was this something that you wanted to focus on?
Holly: It’s a real problem in the fashion industry; a lot of things are linear. New fabrics will be made, products will be made, and then it’ll be disposed of. There’s no reuse of the energy and time that’s gone into the fabric and labour, and that just really stood out to me as a problem. All my pieces have been upcycled, so I will go to charity shops to find fabrics, or they’ll be passed on through my family. Even just being part of a community, people have fabrics handy. It’s like an endless supply almost, and one thing I really found using second hand fabrics is that there’s so much possibility.
Having stuff kind of sets it out for you, it’s like “okay, I can use XYZ”. I’ve got some little fabrics that have been passed down through my family, and it gives me a starting point. It also inspires me; maybe I think that’s a lovely colour or print, so I can use it in a specific way. It’s also really fun to work circular if you have a limited piece. You can use your patterns to try and make it work; it’s more of a challenge and I always find the outcome more rewarding.
It really is amazing what you’ve been able to make with upcycled and deadstock fabric. Tell us about your recent work and the stuff you’re doing now.
Holly: I still love to design with symbols; it’s become a real running thread even as I’ve left university. I love to make pieces people can wear on runways, for styling photoshoots, or for occasional events, which are some of my pieces here. I love to make pieces that are really cozy, so my newest piece is this little jacket, and I’ve used all unique buttons. The buttons are from a little treasure box of buttons that have been collecting for years. I like to look at those and think of what they can become. Every piece is so intentional.
I’m currently costume designing Irish dance dresses which is really fun and obviously a really big thing in Belfast and Ireland and all across the world, even in America. So, it’s really fun to be able to design bespoke dresses and continue on with that really intentional design. Often, it’s mass produced, but this is all very bespoke, so I’m loving doing that. Then of course, Ireland Fashion Week is my next thing, and I’ll be producing a piece for that which is really exciting.
On Ireland Fashion Week, being a Designer from Northern Ireland, and Designers that Inspire
Ireland Fashion Week is so exciting. What was your experience like participating in Ireland Fashion Week 2025?
Holly: It was the best [laughs]. I think one thing that surprised me the most was how it was so much more than what I was expecting. On top of showcasing at a global stage with all that visibility, there’s also so much support behind it and there’s a community of mentors that are there for you and that are giving you insights. It’s one thing being creative and making something but then there’s also how do you show your collections or finance the legal side of things. There’s so much more than just producing pieces, so Ireland Fashion Week really helped me to understand that and helped me navigate going from being a student into a young designer.
I think just being around professionals in the fashion industry that can pass on their wisdom, and then also being around my peers, is so valuable to have. It was just the best experience.
Ireland Fashion Week is amazing; it really does bring so much visibility to Irish fashion and designers. What does it mean to you to be a designer from Northern Ireland?
Holly: I suppose for me, it’s really special because there’s such a growing talent here and it’s a really emerging industry. Being part of that community here in Belfast is really exciting because it opens opportunities for collaboration. I think if you’re working by yourself there’s such a limit to your creativity sometimes, but when you work with a stylist, hair stylist, makeup artist, photographer, that will come with so many more ideas that can push the boundaries. That’s a really exciting part of it.
I think specifically in Belfast, there’s so much talent here. There’s so much creativity, so it’s really nice to work with those people. Even just the university, Ulster University, provides a really great platform for students to learn how to be fashion people and how to work in the industry, and then it really sets you up for after university and becoming a designer.
Are there any designers in particular that you look up to?
Holly: A really close friend of mine, Anna Finnis, she is an incredible designer. She has so many great sustainability values and is so naturally talented at what she does, it’s just beautiful to see someone really harness their creativity and to do so well with it. She’s really getting the spotlight she deserves, which is incredible. And as well, Karen Hegarty, she’s incredible. I love her so much. She’s got a really great heritage and tradition to her designs. I think that’s a really beautiful thing from Northern Ireland to hold on to and to have a really great story behind what you do. I love both of them as designers.
Then, on a larger scale, I really love Iris Van Herpen. I think she’s incredible, and Daniel Roseberry from Schiaparelli. It’s the detail that I love and the thought that goes into each piece. It’s not just made to be made, it’s made for a reason and there’s so much intention behind it and the hours of work that goes into it is incredible. They’re really inspirational to me.
On the Design Process, Advice, and What’s Next
We’ve seen some of your lovely designs today, so thank you so much for showing them to us. When you start a new piece, how do you go from the starting points to the final garment?
Holly: For a lot of my pieces, I’ll start with different approaches. For final year, it was based on a concept. It was all about the emotions and I really wanted to look at connecting that with seasons, so I looked a lot to nature because there’s so much that you can get from nature in different shapes and forms.
Here is all kinds of sketches that I took from nature like folds of a leaf, and what that would look like on a dress and how that would sit on the body. Obviously, a flower is not for the body, but it can be if you design it that way. And then, it was just stages of bloom, so kind of how that translates the floral into garments – where it might sit on the body. Then, I look at the textures that I’m seeing in nature and start to translate that into actual physical samples.
So, I’ll start to play with how it looks in the fabrication. I’ll look at that shape and think how can I make that in fabric and in texture. It’s just playing about with the fabrics that I have to see if it’s functional with that type of texture.
Then, the fun really starts because I take the samples and I’ll start to just pin them up on the mannequin and see how it sits on the body. Darts are a big part of shaping the body but with this technique it actually cuts out the need for darts because you can see there’s so many folds, so it actually shapes and sits around the body really nicely. So, I’ll start to kind of play with the possibilities from little samples and then it’s just kind of sketching and making specific decisions for each piece. Then it just rolls from there into production, which is very fun.
That’s incredible, everything is so personalized to the garment. Now that you’ve graduated and have been designing for some time, what would you say to emerging Irish designers that want to make clothes. What would be your advice to them?
Holly: I think definitely my main advice is community. I think there’s so much power behind being around people that are also as passionate as you are about certain things, and that can be really encouraging and supportive. I know that from myself, from my community at university, my community at Ireland Fashion Week, and the Irish fashion scene. That’s definitely my main advice. In terms of the confidence to do that, I would just say go for it. If it’s got your heart behind it and it’s something that you’re passionate about I don’t think anything else should stand in the way. You should just try your best because that’s all you can do.
That’s wonderful advice, thank you. The last question I have, what’s next for you?
Holly: So, at the moment, I’m getting ready for Ireland Fashion Week for 2026. It’s my second year which is very exciting. The theme is Irish Dance which is exciting because I currently work as an Irish dance dress designer, and it’s super fun to bring these experiences together. I would also really love to open a rental service for my business, to allow the pieces to really have their optimum potential. I think rental services are the best way to go about that and it’s also the most responsible way to go about things. Then, the pieces can be used to their absolute fullest and appreciated and loved by more than one person.
That’s all the questions we have for you today, thank you so much for taking the time out today, Holly. We really appreciate it.
It was incredible having the opportunity to chat with Holly. You’ll see her designs at Ireland Fashion Week 2026 which will be happening October 7 – 12, 2026. In the meantime, you can find Holly Bell on Instagram, @hollybell.design. You can find more interviews with emerging designers on our website, Instagram (@stylecartel), and TikTok (@stylecartelmedia).
Interview conducted by Kyla Campbell (@kylacampbell_) and Timothy Ollis (@timothyollis).