[DIVERSITY & INCLUSION] 💡 Ireland Fashion Week Judge, Creative Director & Stylist - Zeda - on Her Hopes for the Future of Fashion

A conversation on redefining Irish fashion, championing true inclusion and creating space for all stories.

Hello and welcome to Ireland Fashion Week,

We are proud to spotlight conversations that matter - ones that challenge, inspire, and shape the future of Irish fashion.

In this feature, we sat down with Zeda - a creative multi-hyphenate, stylist, director, and founder of platforms like The Art of Styling and Zeda and Friends. Through her work, Zeda is pushing for a fashion industry in Ireland that promotes real, lasting inclusion. 💫

She shares her personal journey, why representation is important, and her vision for a fashion landscape where everyone can belong and thrive. ❤️

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Can you please share a short introduction to yourself and your work?

“My name is Zeda, I’m also known as Zeda the Architect but I was born Oyindamola Zainab Animashaun, in the vibrant city of Abeokuta, Nigeria. I moved to Dublin when I was still small, and it’s here, between two worlds, that I grew up, so I’d say that I’m Nigerian at heart, Irish in rhythm, shaped by both and belonging to neither fully.

In terms of what I do, I consider myself to be a creative multi-hyphenate: a stylist, creative director, journalist, producer, visual artist, storyteller and more if someone asks. My work spans fashion, music, culture, with community always being a focus and creating space for stories that are too often overlooked in the Irish cultural landscape.

For a few years, I was the Fashion Editor at VIP Publishing, where I directed shoots and style features across Stellar, VIP Magazine, TV Now and for a blip, KISS Magazine. Alongside styling Irish musicians, public figures and creatives, I’ve built a portfolio that bridges editorial, brand campaigns, music videos, and cultural projects, always with an eye on visual storytelling and emotional resonance. I am incredibly passionate about creating projects that champion Black and underrepresented voices across the Irish creative industries.

I'm the founder of The Art of Styling, Zeda and Friends, Spotlight Éire and brand258, all creative endeavours under my soon to be announced production company and are designed to build community around fashion, culture, and connection. Through the platforms, I’ve curated experiences like Dandyism Reclaimed, The Modè Market and more.

I also bring a strong strategic edge to my creative practice through my work in PR. I’ve led campaigns and activations for fashion, music, and drinks brands including artist showcases and product launches, managing everything from media outreach to influencer engagement and event production. My background in communications means I’m just as comfortable behind the scenes shaping narratives as I am styling a set or directing a show.

At the heart of all my work - whether it's through The Art of Styling, Zeda and Friends, or brand collaborations - is a commitment to making the Irish fashion and cultural space more inclusive, more connected, and more creatively ambitious. I believe fashion is more than fabric, it’s a language, a tool for empowerment, and a mirror to who we are and who we’re becoming.”

What does diversity and inclusion mean to fashion in Ireland today?

“In Ireland today, diversity and inclusion in fashion must go far beyond the optics of who walks the runway. It’s about who gets to be in the room, behind the camera, in the styling chair, in the design studio, at the funding table, and on the board making decisions. Representation is important, but true inclusion is systemic. It requires intention, infrastructure, and investment.

In practical terms, it means designing with all body types in mind not just as an afterthought, but from the very beginning. It means championing adaptive design and accessibility, so that people living with disabilities don’t have to navigate an industry that was never built for them. It means making space for racial and cultural diversity, not just in casting but in storytelling, references, moodboards, and creative leadership. It means mentoring and supporting talent who didn’t go the “traditional” route, those who didn’t go to NCAD or grow up with access to fashion internships, but who have something real to say.

Ireland is somewhat of a multicultural, multilingual, multi-faith nation. Our population is changing. Our fashion must reflect that, but more importantly, it must resource that. Visibility without access is tokenism. Style without structure is surface. Inclusion means reimagining the industry so that more of us can not just participate but thrive!”

Are there any fashion brands (national or internationally) who are really making strides and having a positive impact thanks to their diversity and inclusion efforts?

“Absolutely, though it’s important to acknowledge that we’re still in the early stages of real, systemic change. That said, some designers and platforms are showing us what’s possible when diversity and inclusion aren’t just aesthetic choices but foundational values.

Across the pond, brands like Karoline Vitto are setting a standard. She doesn’t just cast curve models, she designs for them. Her collections are sampled on a UK16, which is radical in an industry that often samples on a UK6 or 8 and calls it a day. She uses sustainable practices to celebrate the body rather than hide it and that level of intention is what true inclusion looks like. It’s not performative, it’s purposeful. I’ve been lucky to see her pieces on the runway and at a showroom during London Fashion Week over multiple seasons and it was a sight to behold.

Closer to home, Helen Steele was ahead of the curve in Ireland, being truly inclusive before it was popular or marketable. She made pieces that spoke to women of all backgrounds, and she did it with joy, colour and unapologetic vibrancy. That kind of consistency matters and I have to commend her for her integrity and willingness to walk to the beat of her own drum.

Emerald & Wax is another example, founded by Ghanaian designer Virtue Shine and based in Galway. Her pieces fuse West African wax prints with Irish tweed, creating garments that celebrate cultural duality while championing slow, ethical fashion. For her, I see that it’s not just about visual diversity, it’s about embedding culture, migration, and heritage into the design process itself.

Still overall, we have a long way to go. Inclusion isn’t a moment or a marketing campaign, it’s a shift in how we approach creativity, collaboration, and commerce. It’s how we build teams, where we source stories, who we centre in our campaigns, and how we define success. If we want a fashion industry that reflects the richness of life in Ireland, we have to be brave enough to redesign it from the inside out.”

When it comes to designers, in particular those with small teams and limited resources and budgets, what is the minimum we should expect from them in relation to their diversity and inclusion efforts and what would be the ideal scenario?

“The minimum is intentionality. Even if you're working out of your bedroom with three samples and a part-time assistant, inclusion can still be part of your ethos. It’s about asking: Who am I designing for? Who gets to see themselves in this?

If you can’t afford to hire a full team yet, you can still design with different body types in mind, ensure your cast reflects the diversity of real Ireland, in size, race, gender, and ability or collaborate with creatives outside your usual circle. Inclusion doesn’t have to cost more; it just requires awareness and care.

The ideal, of course, is that diversity and inclusion are built into your process from the beginning. That means thinking beyond aesthetics, it’s about how you cast, who you partner with, how accessible your collections are, who’s credited, who’s paid, and how your brand shows up in the world.

D&I shouldn’t be a checklist or a PR moment, it should be a lived value. That might look like inviting feedback from communities outside your own, creating adjustable or adaptive garments, offering broader size ranges, or seeking out collaborators with different lived experiences.

You don’t need to have all the answers but you do need to ask better questions. Small budgets shouldn’t mean small thinking. If you’re dreaming big about your designs, you should be dreaming big about who they include too.”

Facts and figures: any key stats you'd like to highlight, either on progress or the lack of it!

“There’s still a huge gap between the Ireland we live in and the one we see represented in fashion. And while conversations around diversity are more common now, the data tells us we’ve got a long way to go.

Let’s start with race. According to UCD’s 2022 Race & Ethnicity Equality report, only 1.3% of their staff identify as Black or Black Irish and when you zoom out to the workforce more broadly, Black Irish people are over 3 times more likely to face workplace discrimination compared to white Irish individuals. That reality doesn’t just stop at corporate offices, it plays out in fashion studios, casting rooms, and brand boardrooms too.

When it comes to size inclusivity, the global picture is no better. Only 0.8% of looks on major runways feature plus-size bodies (UK14+), and Ireland isn’t currently leading in that space either. The majority of Irish fashion brands still stop at around a UK14 or UK16, leaving a huge part of the population underrepresented and underserved.

And then there’s policy. While there’s no centralised published data for Irish fashion brands specifically, conversations within the industry suggest that very few, if any, have formalised diversity and inclusion policies or training in place. That’s a concern. Because without intentional structures, progress becomes patchy, reactive, and performative.

So yes, we’ve seen some positive steps. But if we want Irish fashion to be truly future-facing, we need to start measuring inclusion as seriously as we measure creativity, sales, or sustainability. Because what gets measured is what gets changed.”

During Ireland Fashion Week, the designers have full creative control over their shows, including deciding on their guest lists, casting, collections and creative teams. How would you like to see diversity and inclusion implemented?

“I want to see Ireland Fashion Week become a mirror of modern Ireland, not just in how it looks, but in how it works.

On the runway, that means body diversity, racial diversity, gender fluidity, and visible disability, not for the sake of ticking boxes, but through thoughtful, context-aware casting that reflects the real people who live, create, and dress in this country. Let’s move beyond tokenism. Let’s see models with different walks of life, different shapes, different stories, all styled and presented with the same level of care and respect as a “traditional” fashion week look.

When it comes to the guest list, I want to see grassroots creatives and community organisers sitting beside buyers, editors, and brand founders. Make space for the next generation: emerging stylists, student designers, youth culture leaders because their perspective is just as important as the established industry voices.

Behind the scenes, inclusion needs to extend to the teams making it all happen. Let’s see photographers, set designers, producers, stylists, and beauty professionals who reflect Ireland’s full spectrum, culturally, economically, and creatively. And crucially: pay them fairly. Exposure is not compensation. If we’re serious about inclusion, we have to talk about equity too.

Let Ireland Fashion Week be more than a showcase, let it be a statement about where Irish fashion is going. A space where heritage and modernity meet. Where culture isn’t just celebrated, but centred. A platform that doesn’t just reflect Irish fashion but reimagines Irish futures.”

Anything else you'd like to include?

“Diversity and inclusion aren’t burdens, quotas, or buzzwords…they’re catalysts. When done with intention, they lead to better design, stronger storytelling, more relatable brands, and fashion that actually connects with people’s lives. Inclusion is how we expand not just our audience, but our imagination.

The future of Irish fashion is not just green, it’s nuanced, intersectional, and boldly innovative. It’s shaped by tradition, yes, but also by migration, modernity, and the lived experiences of people across all walks of life. Let’s build it that way.

And on a personal note, I always want to say this gently but firmly: people like me, who are often spotlighted under the banner of diversity, bring so much more than representation. I’m not just here to be visible, I’m a creative powerhouse. A director. A stylist. A builder of platforms, spaces, and movements. I want to be in the room not because I tick a box but because I have a vision, a voice, and a skillset that speaks to the future of this industry.

So yes, let’s champion inclusion. But let’s also stop reducing people to it. Because when we are seen in our fullness, not just our difference, that’s when real change happens.”

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Thank you for joining us as we continue to explore the people and ideas shaping Irish fashion - like Zeda! Stay with us for more stories, insights, and conversations in the lead-up to Ireland Fashion Week. ☘️

The Ireland Fashion Week Team