THE fashion world's equivalent of an Oscar will be presented today to a young Irish designer whose work is almost unknown here.
Dubliner Daryl Kerrigan has won the Perry Ellis Award for Young Designer of the Year from the Council of Fashion Designers in the US and will be given her prize at a New York ceremony this evening. The CFDA says it is the first time an Irish designer has won any accolade in the award's 16 year history.
Originally from Rathfarnham, Daryl Kerrigan studied fashion at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and went to the US afier graduating in 1986.
She worked as a waitress before becoming a wardrobe assistant in the film industry. Her last project in this area was designing costumes for the 1992 comedy My Cousin Vinny.
When the film was released, however, Kerrigan had already opened a shop in Manhattan's Soho selling her own clothes under the label Daryl K.
In five years her designs have acquired a strong following in the US and the Far East and last November she opened a second New York outlet, as well as a producing another line called Daryl K-189. She recently signed an agreement with a Japanese manufacturer to create a range of fashion accessories carrying her name.
Her success with consumers derives from a strong sense of youth trends. The consistent best seller has been boot leg hipster jeans and she likes to work with new stretch fabrics and strong colours.
Although her clothes are for sale in London, no shop in Ireland carries the Daryl K label. "I really think a few of them should be in Dublin," she said. Daryl Kerrigan's US award may encourage Irish retailers to take her up on this.