Co Antrim artist: “When I saw my gown being wore to the Miss World battle, I practically choked on my Tayto.”

By editor
March 20, 2024

Kaitlyn ( 27 ) won the title of Miss Northern Ireland 2023 in May, and she is currently representing India on the international stage this month.

One of the game’s shells had a “best design” style, where candidates had to walk the runway in a dress made by a local artist from each of their nations.

“It’s all about showcasing our cultures”, Kaitlyn explained.

She wore what she described as a “stunning” piece from Susan Rogers, whose business is called ‘Wear By SER’ — which is an acronym for her full initials, Susan Elizabeth Rogers.

Susan explained to the Belfast Telegraph how the clothes was created, noting that “it was made of 100 % Irish linen and that whenever I was doing it, there were what felt like a million flax plant stones.”

She continued: “I made the clothing in 2021 for a project I was doing. It was during the shutdown, and it was about incorporating elements from the jute history of NI.”

This special dress was made with fabric in mind. The linen mills themselves are the true linen mills, so the dress is based on them. My grandmother was a thread examiner at Milewater Mill.

It is a gift to the women who worked in the fabric and hemp mill, and it is also a gift to my grandmother, too. She may have adored everything.

Wear By Ser custom Susan Rogers

A friend gave Susan’s mother a black jacket as a gift, which she kept in her drawer, which she kept wrapped in tissue for safe keeping.

Then with Susan’s family, the piece is estimated to be over 100 years old.

The 27-year-old said: “Many of the workers and bowlers would have brought black blankets to work at the mill, and we still have her shawl here because the dress has a large black skirt and a black dance to cover the arms.”

“Naturally, I wanted to put flaxseed on it to display its ‘roots’ and where it came from.”

One of the oldest planted plants in human history, the hemp flower, is made of the fibers that grow inside of its leaves.

Since the eleventh century, linen has been grown and used for clothing in Northern Ireland.

Susan’s first apparel collection, which she curated after receiving her degree from Dublin’s National College of Art and Design in 2019, features Kaitlyn.

“She hadn’t modelled before sometimes and it was her second shot, but she was an absolute organic,” said Susan.

Since then, Kaitlyn and I have been in contact, and we’ve become a sort of family.

“When she was crowned Miss Northern Ireland, I was naturally so happy for her anyway, and then one day I received a call from her claiming she needed a local designer’s dress to wear to the “Creators of the World” round. I was completely buzzing.

It had to be beautiful; the goal was to “red carpet” it, and it also had to reveal our heritage.

I was thrilled to play this incredible chance because, like any young artist, I was so excited to show my function. She came in to try on the costume, and it came out exactly as we had hoped it would.

See: Miss NI Kaitlyn Clarke: ‘My voice is the star of the show at Miss World!’

When she saw Kaitlyn modelling her job at the opposition, Susan said: “I practically choked on my Tayto butter and vegetable snacks. The images were beautiful.”

“You often picture fabric outfits to be kind of wavy and saggy, so I wanted something a bit various.”

Krystyna Pyszková, a Bohemian design, was named Miss World 2024 earlier this month at a glittering ceremony in Mumbai, but Kaitlyn managed to do just that with her success throughout.

After discussing subjects straight from those discussed at the G20 summit, which was held in India last month, the former instructor was chosen as the first runner-up in the skill portion of the competition.

The Belfast lady, who returned to Northern Ireland earlier this month, continues to serve as an ambassador for the care. She has acted in a number of television commercials and set for the BBC and Disney Channel, as well as music theater, drama, and performing.

Kaitlyn has long-standing ties to Romania’s homes and villages, The Eileen Moreland Foundation, a generosity that provides support and career skills.

Eileen’s death, which occurred shortly after her 59th day, had a significant impact on the lives of countless Romanians who had been living in poverty for the past 20 years.

Kaitlyn has a passion for travel photography and is now employed as a sociable advertising executive.

You can follow both Susan and Kaitly n’s journeys on Instagram at @wearbyser and @kaitlynjclarke. You can also message Susan at [email protected]

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