On 16th March, Belfast’s punk-inspired fashion competition DEFYING GRAVITY: A PUNK ODYSSEY will make its unmissable inaugural outing. Taking over The Banana Block, a thriving events space & living museum in East Belfast, it’s a unique celebration of homegrown talent and a fashion competition honouring a true punk and style icon.
The project was devised with its original guest judge, British punk icon Jordan Mooney – who sadly passed in April 2022 – as central to the premise of the show. Honouring her towering legacy while showcasing the best of Belfast’s creative sector, it will give adiverse range of local fashion designers the chance to showcase their work and walkaway with immersive work experience with a major TV network and a £1000 cash prize.
Offering their world-beating expertise on the night are four very special guest judges: legendary Glasgow fashion designer Pam Hogg, award-winning Belfast hairdresser and stylist Paul Stafford, fashion designer and illustrator Sara O’Neill and London musician Marco Pirroni (Adam Ant, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sinead O’Connor).
Timed to mark Belfast being awarded the prestigious UNESCO City of Music status, Defying Gravity is also a carefully-curated celebration of Belfast’s rich musical heritage, namely punk in all its various iterations and its expression right across Belfast’s creative sector. As well as featuring models and choreography by Style Academy, a live soundtrack by acclaimed Belfast producer & DJ Phil Kieran based on his club night
Leatherette at Ulster Sports Club, A/V from Visual Spectrum, visuals and film courtesy of Stephen Hackett, and costume design experience by Cathy Prior (Derry Girls, Channel 4, BBC, Netflix, Paramount+), the city’s most beloved broadcaster and Coronation Street appreciator, Julian Simmons, will compere on the night.
Tickets for Defying Gravity are available via starrrecords.co.uk Following the main event, the official Defying Gravity afterparty featuring Phil Kieran will also take place at The Banana Block