Lucan model Courtney Smith lands spot at Paris Fashion Week

“IT IS a huge milestone for me and something I am really looking forward to experiencing,” beams Lucan’s Courtney Smith.

Courtney, a previous Miss Dublin, has been given an opportunity to model in the 2026 Paris Fashion Week.

Her creative side began to grow from attending secondary school in Lucan, being “always fascinated by many sides of art, with fashion being one of them.”

When she reached college, she really began to explore fashion for herself and loved to experiment with different styles.

Courtney began to model for Assets Modelling Agency when she turned 18 and was listed as commercial modelling, but runway fashion was her end goal.

She applied to Miss Ireland as she turned 19, which helped her shape who she is today and gave her the confidence to start making an effort towards the fashion industry.

Courtney was given the Miss Dublin Centre title and used it to raise money and work closely with charities such as Pieta House and Julian Benson CF Foundation.

Shortly after she turned 20, Courtney applied to the Rose of Tralee and was a part of the Dublin selection but did not make it through.

She applied to Paris Runway PR Firm, but while it was her last year in college, she never found the time to apply to castings.

Once summer started, she began working in the legal profession, and the weekends seemed to be more quiet.

She began looking into the PR Firms Instagram and thought, “This may be my chance to get back into modelling.”

About a month after looking into this, an email popped up saying there were spots opening up for Paris Fashion Week, and “I just had to take my chance while I had it in front of me.”

She then received her spot about four days later with her modelling comp card: “I couldn’t believe it; I’m still not feeling like it’s real.”

Her favourite part about modelling is the “creativity and opportunity to constantly challenge myself”, and challenges have included dealing with uncertainty and rejection, but having another career path helps her keep a “healthy perspective”.

Beyond Paris Fashion Week, Courtney would like to develop her modelling career, work with more designers and brands, and hopefully have the opportunity to model internationally again.

At the same time, she is very focused on continuing to build her career in law.

Courtney would like to thank her family and the people closest to her and everyone she has worked with throughout her modelling journey.

Finally, she would like to acknowledge

“every person who has supported me, whether behind the scenes or simply by encouraging me to keep going”.

Paris Fashion Week begins on September 28 and ends on October 6, with Courtney expected to take to the runway on October 3.