Joe Biden has never made a secret of his Irishness. In fact, it's one of his big calling cards, and something that he never fails to mention if given a chance. His wife Jill, however, less so.
That's not surprising, because she's not Irish at all. Her outfits, however, very much are. The coat, dress and even the face mask that she wore for her husband's inauguration last week were designed by a woman from Rathfarnham and for that alone, we're very much claiming them for the nation.
Laura Weber, who works at the agency LW Pearl, explained how she ended up with her clothes on arguably the biggest stage in the world. It's a story straight out of the American dream.
"I am from Rathfarnham," said Laura. "I moved to the US in 2013 after graduating to follow my dream to work in fashion. It was a bold move as I had nothing lined up in terms of work or housing."
"I landed a job on my first day in a factory in the garment centre by knocking on their door and asking. Fast forward, I opened my atelier, LW Pearl Atelier in October 2019, in the garment centre of midtown Manhattan."
"I built an embroidery and embellishment company that focuses on luxury product development and production. Some clients include world-renowned designers, Gabriela Hearst, Thom Browne, Altuzarra making their runway designs and concepts come to life."
"Being a source for exquisite luxury couture has been the draw to this level of clientele along with custom celebrity orders. My atelier team is built of European, Latin American and Japanese with knowledge and artisanal backgrounds in bridal couture and high-end luxury."
As for the actual dress worn by Jill Biden, that lay in her collaboration with Gabriela Hearst.
"Working with Gabriela Hearst previously for collection, they approached me with this project," said Laura. "We started development for the full look on December 9th. We drew out every flower for every US state and territory."
"We decided on every thread direction, every bead placement, every colour for each stem, petal and leaf. We continued to work on it all the way up until the monday night before the inauguration. We made her mask, dress and coat and embroidered the quote that was on the inside of her coat."
From Rathfarnham to Washington D.C. - it's some journey.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Ireland