Blending heritage influences with a contemporary edge, Titanic Belfast's Northern Threads exhibition showcases the designers shaping the future of Northern Ireland fashion while exploring the region’s rich textile history and its lasting influence today. Running daily from 1 May–30 September 2026 in The Andrews Gallery at Titanic Belfast, the free exhibition spotlights established and emerging creatives pushing boundaries in textiles, sustainability and cultural expression.
Featured designers include Sara O’Neill, Amy Anderson, Gráinne Maher and Hope MacAulay. Woven throughout the exhibition are references to Northern Ireland’s textile past, highlighting linen, wool, silk and leather and their role in the region’s heritage and identity.
Visitors will move through each designer’s space, discovering the stories behind the work, before arriving at a central catwalk displaying selected designs. An immersive sound and video installation will further explore each designer’s creative process and connection to place.
Judith Owens MBE, CEO of Titanic Belfast, said: “Northern Threads invites visitors to engage with the creativity emerging from Northern Ireland today, highlighting how a deep-rooted sense of place continues to inform and inspire contemporary design.”
Sara O’Neill’s label Éadach uses hand-drawn prints on silk, linen and natural fibres to explore Irish mythology, women’s histories and Ulster’s mill workers. Amy Anderson founded Kindred of Ireland after reconnecting with her family’s linen heritage, creating modern Irish linen garments with local mills and seamstresses. Belfast-born Gráinne Maher combines traditional craftsmanship with avant-garde millinery and sculptural leather goods, while Hope MacAulay creates colourful handmade knitwear inspired by the North Coast and produced by local knitters.
The exhibition also features designer-in-residence Una Rodden, Threadlab pieces by Ulster University lecturers Dean Liggett and Gráinne Taylor, and Eimear Magee’s Singing Threads installation in the Atrium.
