‘I nearly choked on my Tayto when I saw my dress being worn at Miss World’ – National College of Art and Design graduate

Kaitlyn (27) was crowned Miss Northern Ireland 2023 last May, and represented the region on the global stage this month in India.

One of the competition’s rounds encompassed a ‘top model’ theme, in which contestants had to walk the runway in a dress created by a local designer from each of their countries.

“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.

Detailing the inspiration for the clothing, Susan told the Belfast Telegraph that it is made from “100% Irish linen and on the bottom there are what felt like a million flax plant beads whenever I was doing it”.

She continued: “I made the dress in 2021 for a project I was doing. It was during lockdown and it was about taking elements from NI’s textile history, and designing garments around that.

“This particular dress was for one inspired by linen. The dress is based on the actual linen mills themselves. My granny actually worked at Milewater Mill as a yarn inspector.

“It is a tribute to the women who worked in the mills spinning the flax and weaving the linen, and it’s a tribute to my granny too. She would have loved all this.”

Susan’s grandmother was given a black shawl as a gift by a friend, which she kept wrapped in tissue in her drawer for safe keeping.

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

The 27-year-old said: “A lot of the weavers and spinners would have worn black shawls into work at the mills, and we still have her shawl here, which is the main inspiration behind the dress, as it has a big black skirt and a black bolero to cover the shoulders.

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

Linen fabric is made from the fibres that grow inside of the stalks of the flax plant, one of the oldest cultivated plants in human history.

Flax has been cultivated in Northern Ireland and used for clothing since the 11th century.

Kaitlyn has also modelled for Susan’s first clothing collection that she curated after graduating from Dublin’s National College of Art and Design in 2019.

“She hadn’t modelled before either and it was her first shoot, but she was an absolute natural,” said Susan.

“Kaitlyn and I have kept in touch since and we’re sort of family friends.

“When she was crowned Miss Northern Ireland, I was obviously so happy for her anyway, and then one day I got a call from her saying she needed a dress from a local designer to wear for the ‘Designers of the World’ round. I was absolutely buzzing.

“It had to be glamorous — the brief was ‘red carpet’ — and it also had to reflect our heritage.

“Like any young designer, I was delighted to help as this was an unbelievable opportunity to show my work. She came to try the dress on and it fitted like a glove, we said it was meant to be.”

When she saw Kaitlyn modelling her work at the competition, Susan said: “I nearly choked on my Tayto cheese and onion crisps. The photos were stunning.

“You always picture linen outfits to be kind of flowy and shapeless, so I wanted something a bit different.”

Czech model Krystyna Pyszková was crowned Miss World 2024 at a glittering ceremony in Mumbai earlier this month, but Kaitlyn had great success of her own throughout the pageant.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 20th March 2024

The former primary school teacher was placed as the first runner-up in the talent portion of the contest and, in the head-to-head challenge, she was chosen as one of the top 25 girls after discussing topics taken directly from issues discussed at the G20 summit, which was also held in India last year.

The Belfast woman arrived back in NI earlier this month and continues to volunteer as an ambassador for the Northern Ireland Hospice. She also enjoys musical theatre, drama and singing, and has acted in several television adverts and series for the BBC and Disney Channel.

Kaitlyn also has long-standing connections with The Eileen Moreland Foundation — a charity providing aid and life skills to orphanages and villages in Romania.

Eileen was her auntie — she died in 2016, shortly after her 59th birthday, and helped change the lives of thousands of Romanian people living in poverty over two decades.

Kaitlyn is currently working as a social media executive and has dreams to be a travel journalist and photographer.