The proud smile says it all – Liam Neeson couldn't be happier with his son Micheál. The 19-year-old, whose mother is the late actress Natasha Richardson, has taken his first steps towards a career as a fashion curator by launching a gallery in London's Soho.
On his special day Micheál was also supported by family friend Ralph Fiennes, who worked with his mother and Jennifer Lopez on Maid in Manhattan.
© Photo: Getty ImagesLiam Neeson couldn't be happier with the way Micheál has turned his life around
Surprisingly shy given his movie star pedigree and with a slight hipster air, the teenager seems to have found his calling, telling the Evening Standard: "Fashion is so important as it shows who you are."
The Maison Mais Non will show clothes by exciting new fashion graduates from colleges like Central Saint Martins collaborating with Saville Row tailors.
It's an important achievement given the difficulties Micheál has overcome in the past few years. After coping with the loss of his mother following a freak skiing accident in 2009, the young man went off the rails hitting the party scene in New York where the family was based.
Micheál Neeson came up with an idea to bring Saville Row tailors and fashion graduates together
"I was putting socialising with my friends as my top priority," he said. "Rock bottom was when I chose to miss classes to meet up with them, as well as not realising that family — and work — come first. After a while, I thought, ‘What am I doing? This is instant gratification."
His father and younger brother Daniel, 18, encouraged him to go to rehab in the Utah desert last summer. When he emerged Micheál moved to London, moving in with Topes Calland, who has worked as a supertutor for troubled students from elite familes and provided him with a safe haven. Moving to Britain also allowed him to spend time with his maternal grandmother Vanessa Redgrave, whom he describes as "a beautiful person".
Family friends Topes Calland (left) and Ralph Fiennes (right) were also on hand for support
The project came about after he interned with Savile Row tailors, spending months at a time on one bespoke suit. Liam's son followed this with a stint at Celine with Phoebe Philo and decided to bring the worlds of high fashion and traditional craftsmanship together.
On Tuesday the results of his hard work paid off and it's likely that his mother would have been impressed. "One thing my Mum taught me was to dress how you feel, dress how you want. She loved dressing up for every occasion and sometimes wore some pretty crazy stuff."
