Press Release
August 17, 2026 • 3 min read
GOAL NextGen is reclaiming the Irish flag as a symbol of welcome with the launch of the Céad Míle Collection, a new creative collaboration with Irish fashion designers Farouk Alao and Helen Steele.
Inspired by Ireland’s reputation of Céad Míle Fáilte, a hundred thousand welcomes, the collection asks a simple question: what should the Irish flag represent? For GOAL NextGen and the designers, the answer is clear: welcome, belonging, solidarity and community.
At a time when national symbols are increasingly being used to create division, exclusion and fear, the Céad Míle Collection seeks to reclaim one of Ireland’s most recognisable symbols for what it should represent, an Ireland that is open, compassionate and welcoming to all.
The need for that welcome is increasingly urgent. Recent research found that 66% of non-white people in Ireland experienced racism in the past 12 months [1]. While research conducted by GOAL NextGen and Thinkhouse (2024) found that 80% agree that all people who call Ireland home deserve to feel like they belong here, and 82% agree that creative culture helps people to connect with each other and overcome differences. Against this backdrop, the collection challenges the idea that national pride and inclusion are opposing forces, and instead celebrates an Ireland where the two belong together.
Combining Farouk Alao’s contemporary design approach with Helen Steele’s bold artistic style, the Céad Míle Collection will transform the colours and symbolism of the Irish flag into a one-of-a-kind fashion statement celebrating global solidarity in a modern, diverse and inclusive Ireland.
More than a fashion collection, it is a visual act of reclamation, demonstrating how creativity can challenge division, start conversations and offer a different vision of what Irish identity can look like.
Victoria Walshe, Head of Global Citizenship, GOAL Global, said:
“We don’t want to surrender the Irish flag to anyone who uses it to say who belongs here and who doesn’t. The Irish flag belongs to all of us, and its message should be Céad Míle Fáilte. At GOAL NextGen, we believe creativity has the power to start conversations that politics often can’t. Through this collection, we want to remind people that Irish identity doesn’t have to be about exclusion. It can be about welcome, belonging and community, values that are at the heart of GOAL’s work and Ireland at its best. As part of a global humanitarian organisation, we see every day the importance of standing in solidarity with communities facing conflict, displacement and crisis. This collection is a reminder that empathy, compassion and human connection should guide how we relate to one another, both at home and around the world.”
Farouk Alao said:
“You can travel to the far corners of the globe and people can still sense that you’re Irish before you’ve said a word. That’s what clothing does too, it speaks identity before language gets the chance. I’m excited to build something with Helen that puts Céad Míle at the centre of what that identity means.”
Helen Steele added:
“There’s something deeply sad about seeing the Irish flag and immediately assuming it represents hostility rather than pride. Our national flag should be a symbol that makes people feel welcome, not wary. Collaborating with Farouk on this collection gives us the chance to reclaim that symbol and reimagine it as a reflection of the Ireland so many of us believe in: one built on kindness, hospitality and shared humanity. I hope it encourages people to see the flag, and what it means to belong here, in a different light.”
The Céad Míle Collection will be unveiled at a public launch event in Dublin this autumn, bringing together fashion, art and activism in a celebration of a modern Ireland defined not by who it excludes, but by who it welcomes.
