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A man whose gowns have been worn by Christina Aguilera, Salma Hayek, Florence Pugh and Naomi Campbell in recent months, Michael Stewart’s designs have just reached a new realm of notoriety thanks to a little someone named Beyoncé.
If you hadn’t already heard, the genre-spanning musician is stepping into a new era with the release of the chart-topping country hit ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ and ‘16 Carriages’. Announcing the second album in her Renaissance trilogy at the 58th Super Bowl, all eyes are firmly planted on Beyoncé in the run up to its release on 29 March.
Because Beyoncé is Beyoncé, and therefore does not require sleep like us mere mortals, she’s also just founded a hair care line, Cécred, which has been a lifelong dream from a childhood spent sweeping the floors at her mother’s salon. In a longform profile for ESSENCE magazine’s March/April cover, the star at the pinnacle of her career talks about building a legacy and uniting the personal with the professional.
The best part? She’s photographed in designs by none other than Clare native Michael Stewart, of Standing Ground.
Stewart’s SS24 collection marks his third and last as part of Fashion East’s talent-incubator programme, a non-profit scheme that has also given the likes of Simone Rocha, JW Anderson and Robyn Lynch footing at London Fashion Week. Pulling from deadstock materials, these designs are engineered to hug the body here, and fall across it there to create a breathtaking impression that is nothing short of awe inspiring.
Featured image via @standing_ground_ on Instagram