Northern Ireland

North coast designer's jacket donned by The Edge as U2 begin residency at $2.4bn Las Vegas venue

By Paul Ainsworth

A leather jacket by north coast-based fashion designer Sara O'Neill has been worn by U2 guitarist the Edge as the band began their residency in Las Vegas.

The Irish rock legends have begun a series of shows at the new $2.4 billion Sphere venue in the Nevada city, which uses LED tech to create a huge digital backdrop surrounding the stage and auditorium.

Friday saw the first of 25 concerts by U2 at the venue, and footage taken by fans at the gig shows breathtaking visuals on what is the largest LED screen in the world.

U2 guitarist the Edge - real name David Evans - took to the stage wearing a jacket designed by Sara O'Neill, whose work was previosuly displayed on the Oscars red carpet earlier this year by the stars of winning short film An Irish Goodbye.

The leather jacket featured a horse design and was emblazoned with Achtung Baby, the title of U2's seminal 1991 album.

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The Edge also wears the jacket in the video for U2's new signle Atomic City, released to coincide with their Las Vegas residency, which runs until December.

Ms O'Neill tweeted an image of her working on the jacket against the backdrop of the north coast in August.

The celebrated designer said in a weekend social media post that the weekend the design was influenced by Dublin's Temple Bar area at he height of U2's 1990s ascendency.

"I remember when visiting Temple Bar in the 90s their stuff was EVERYWHERE. At the time I was more interested in the Pistols, the Clash and Nirvana but U2 were such a part of that place and time I had to pay homage," she said.

The designer's work often features Irish mythology themes, including a Children of Lir-inspired cape worn at an Oscars after-party by casting director Mary-Ellen O'Hara, the wife of An Irish Goodbye star Seamus O'Hara.

The cape and other items including pocket squares worn by Mr O'Hara and An Irish Goodbye co-director Ross White were later auctioned off to raise money for the Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland.