check out our latest press & media features
Showing us how to upcycle our footwear with a fresh coat of personality is artist, Barbara Bennett!
Monday, 19th Feb 2024
ireland am
rté - international Women's Day: 17 Irish female-owned businesses to support
To celebrate Ireland's badass, powerful and creative women, Éadaoin Fitzmaurice has compiled a list of female-founded businesses to check out and support….
Friday, 8 Mar 2024
irish examiner - customise it!
not only does Barbara Bennett design awesome hand-painted footwear collections for the likes of Brown Thomas CREATE but she also hosts sneaker customisation workshops teaching people how to create fun and funky footwear designs….
RTÉ - A very Irish Christmas gift guide for 2023
Whether you're a Christmas eve shopper racing up Grafton Street to get a last minute deal, or a smug planner who has their gifts under the tree in time for the opening number of The Late Late, buying for loved ones can be exceptionally tricky….
BROWN THOMAS - CREATE 2023
Back again for its thirteenth year, CREATE 2023 celebrates Ireland's most exciting and talented designers. With a stellar lineup of 28 designers across ready- ...
Transforming everyday footwear into small works of art, Barbara Bennett utilises her passion for vibrant prints and a strong love of trainers to create bespoke pieces. Each pair is hand-painted by Barbara using water-based and non-toxic paints to ensure her artistry remains eco-friendly.
BENNETT’S COLLECTION WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN STORE AT THEIR GRAFTON STREET LOCATION FROM JULY 6 - AUGUST 17 2023
RTÉ- THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH RYAN TUBRIDY
BARBARA GOES ON THE LATE LATE SHOW AND TALKS ALL THINGS CUSTOM HAND PAINTED FOOTWEAR AND SHOE KITS WITH RYAN TUBRIDY
27 APRIL 2023
evoke - Ireland's biggest fashion show is back
barbara displays collection of new knee high boots and heels on ireland’s largest runway event…
Chris brown takes his son aeko on stage wearing customs by barbara.
Chris also got a pair off barbara..check them out here
rTé - new money series
This three-part series delves into the fast-emerging and lucrative worlds of e-sports, cryptocurrencies and premium sneakers. We take a look at where the money is being made and meet the young gen-z businesspeople taking these industries by storm.
rTé - Designer Barbara Bennett on Ireland's growing sneakerhead scene
Despite a backdrop of inflation and financial insecurity, money is still being made in new and interesting ways across this country - and plenty of it. RTÉ's New Money follows the journey of those looking for their place at the table…
virgin media - ireland am
barbara talks all things custom footwear from new borns to brides. alan and muireann get down a dirty with a paint brush and shoes, learning all the tips & tricks on how to customise your own footwear at home!
Image - irish Design Spotlight: Barbara Bennett
Barbara Bennett set up her own shoe customisation service in 2020 and she hasn’t looked back since. Specialising in hand-painted original designs on leather shoes, her work has garnered her lots of attention – even landing her a coveted spot in the Brown Thomas Create programme. Here she talks fashion, footwear and her granny’s fabulous flower garden.
irish independent - foxes bow whiskey x barbara
foxes Bow Whiskey, Craft Cocktails and Barbara Bennett Design have collaborated on a bespoke Penicillin cocktail. barbara designed the label for a delicious COLLABORATION!
buckfast x kneecap
barbara designs custom buckfast air force 1’s for irish rap group kneecap..
irish independent- weekend hit list
aptly described as “wearable artwork”, barbara bennett footwear has well and truly brought colour to the fore. bennett, an artist and graphic designer from galway, produces hand painted one-of-a-kind designs that transform shoes into the best part of an outfit. back for a second CONSECUTIVE year as part of brown thomas’s create 2022 presentation, her collection, titled ‘flowers grow out of dark moment’s’ was influenced by dopamine dressing, aND IS FULL OF “FUN, CONTRASTING AND MOOD-BOOSTING COLOURS”.
EVOKE - Irish fashion and accessory designers share their hero pieces for AW22
Loafers have leapt back into the limelight as we've spotted stars like Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber stepping out in them so far this season.
From customising bespoke Nike sneakers for LoveShackFancy to presenting in this year's Brown Thomas CREATE showcase, it's fair to say Galway designer Barbara Bennett has found her stride…
RTÉ- Irish designers and jewellers to watch out for in 2022
Barbara Bennett returns with her original customised designs and will this year showcase hand-painted, one-of-a-kind loafers in vibrant colourful prints and floral motifs.
IRISH EXAMINER - Hot off the presses: ten ways to wear fresh prints
Run Free: Create your own fashion story with hand-painted Nike trainers BY Barbara Bennett.
IRISH INDEPENDENT - Bespoke and refurbished sneakers make their mark as part of Brown Thomas showcase
TWO YOUNG entrepreneurs have found their stride in the buoyant sneakers market and next week, they take a major step up the retail ladder when they go into Brown Thomas on Grafton Street as part of the ‘Create 2021 – Push for Progress’ showcase..
IRISH INDEPENDENT - The native creatives at the cutting edge of fashion
Designer Barbara Bennett’s hand-painted sneakers were a viral sensation last summer — and for good reason. The past year has seen sneakers become an integral part to pretty much everybody’s wardrobe, and her customised footwear is a welcome change to your regular black-and-white stripes…
RTÉ- Galway designer's shoe art business is a runaway success
Designer Barbara Bennett’s hand-painted sneakers were a viral sensation last summer — and for good reason. The past year has seen sneakers become an integral part to pretty much everybody’s wardrobe, and her customised footwear is a welcome change to your regular black-and-white stripes…