Laois teacher tailored Met Gala and Oscars ballgowns for stars

A Laois teacher whose passion is hand sewing and environmentally sustainable fashion, got the exciting job of adjusting the gowns of film stars recently at the Oscars and the Met Gala Ball in New York.

Primary School teacher Miriam Keegan from Emo is completing a Masters in Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware, focusing on social responsibility, supply chain management and sustainability.

She won a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to the US, for her work to promote sustainable fashion and to educate others about the damage and waste caused by 'fast fashion'.

A recent Gaisce Gold winner for which she mastered the art of embroidery among physical and community achievements, she told the Leinster Express about the glamorous opportunities that sewing has brought her.

"Last September I got to work at the Met Gala, doing alteration assistance. I got to work at the Oscars as well. I worked on Vanessa Hudgens' dress and on the dress of Demi Singleton who played Serena Williams in the movie King William," she said.

Miriam is the creator of an online teaching course for primary school teachers, Education for Sustainable Development Using Fabric and Fibre, approved by the Department of Education. It gives teachers the knowledge to in turn teach pupils how to sew and mend their clothing.

In 2021, after a year of buying no clothes, Miriam created the No Clothes Commitment Challenge, a climate change movement for people to take in order to meaningfully reduce their carbon emissions and save some money.

"At the end of the day it's about getting everybody to learn how to sew and getting the word out about overconsumption. I still have my online course going while I am in the states. 300 teachers have done it in the last two years, that's amazing. I want to bring about change and give the ability to kids so they are able to turn up a hem. One group of girls asked to get sewing machines for Christmas and they made bandanas for charity, so it created a ripple effect. 

The Gaisce ceremony was a special moment.

"It was a fantastic day, it was the first time it was held in Áras an Uachtaráin. I was lucky that I was home for the summer. It was a really humbling moment and I got to meet the dogs too. It felt really personal even though there were so many other Gold Gaisce winners there," she said.

Miriam gave President Higgins a gift of a gold embroidered Gaisce Logo.

Read about all three Laois Gaisce Gold winners below. 

PHOTOS: Three Laois young people win Gaisce Gold President Awards

She recommends going for the Gaisce Gold to others.

"It was really rewarding, I would definitely advise any young person to do the Gold Gaisce," she said.

To achieve the President's award involves many challenges, and Miriam did a 80km hike in Achill, volunteered as a lifeguard instructor for Laois Water Safety, and took on a gym challenge.

She soon returns to complete her MA in Delaware, where she is also now a Graduate Teaching Assistant, teaching at the University.

Find her on Instagram @sew_sustainable