Pop careers rarely move in straight lines, and Zara Larsson’s current moment proves the power of patience. Midnight Sun arrives as both payoff and pivot, reconnecting her with charts, culture, and a generation raised on “Lush Life.” Yet the resurgence is as visual as it is sonic, unfolding through clothes that shimmer with intention.
At the centre of that image stands Irish designer Sorcha O’Raghallaigh, whose couture sensibility has quietly shaped some of pop’s most unforgettable looks. From Lady Gaga’s early television appearances to custom creations for Beyoncé, Kate Moss, and Violet Chachki, O’Raghallaigh has built a career of defiance.
An Offaly-born Central Saint Martins graduate, O’Raghallaigh is revered for her couture-level craftsmanship, particularly her intricate beading and embroidery.
O’Raghallaigh’s partnership with Larsson feels like a meeting of creative instincts rather than a standard stylist-designer arrangement. Together with stylist Caterina Ospina, the trio have built a wardrobe that mirrors Midnight Sun’s themes of freedom, heat, and emotional exposure. From sheer, body-skimming silhouettes to heavily embellished stage looks that shimmer under arena lights, each piece feels designed not just to be worn, but to perform.
The now-iconic VMAs look, a barely-there, baby-blue, crystal-drenched ensemble, epitomised this approach. Drawing from O’Raghallaigh’s archive while pushing into new territory, the dress featured hand-crafted hibiscus flowers made from scratch, with tulle petals stretched, wired, and stitched by hand. The look was completed with matching jewelled briefs, a custom hairpiece, and coordinated accessories, turning the naked dress trope into something both playful and technically impressive.
What makes the collaboration compelling is its emphasis on trust. O’Raghallaigh has spoken about how rare it is to be encouraged to fully inhabit her aesthetic, rather than dilute it. With Larsson and Ospina, maximalism isn’t a compromise, it’s the point. Colour, texture, movement, and fantasy are treated as essential tools in storytelling, not decorative afterthoughts.
In an era where pop visuals can feel overly strategic or algorithm-driven, Larsson’s fashion renaissance stands out for its sense of joy and intentionality. It underscores how transformative the right designer relationship can be, not just in refreshing an image, but in articulating a new chapter. As Midnight Sun continues to glow, O’Raghallaigh’s beadwork and imagination have become part of Larsson’s language, proof that fashion, when done right, doesn’t follow the music. It amplifies it.
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