Michael Stewart's haute couture debut spotlights draping, corsetry—and Irish lace

Standing Ground's Michael Stewart showed his first haute couture collection in Paris, featuring sculptural draping, molded corsets with Mr. Pearl, and a bridal gown in Carrickmacross lace that took nine months to complete.

At Paris Couture Week in July, Irish designer Michael Stewart presented Standing Ground's first haute couture collection, drawing comparisons to Azzedine Alaïa for his technical mastery and refusal to follow traditional schedules. The RCA graduate, who won the LVMH Prize Savoir-Faire award in 2024, showed aerodynamic molded corsets developed with Mr. Pearl, exposed beading on velvet gowns, and a nine-month Carrickmacross lace bridal gown made by Irish craftswomen aged 21 to 95. Stewart finishes every piece himself, dresses private clients and celebrities like Beyoncé and Tilda Swinton, and chooses not to sell in stores. For sewists interested in haute couture construction, corsetry, and the economics of independent design, his approach—spending his entire 200,000-euro prize on perfecting garments rather than spectacle—offers a compelling counterpoint to the corporate couture model.