Create is an annual showcase of Irish designers and Irish design that takes place in Dublin's leading luxury department store, Brown Thomas. In its seventh year, Create has always presented wonderful designers, both upcoming and established, in a beautiful setting but the display this year is particularly lovely; black and white palm leaf wallpaper, sprawling greenery (how trendy), neon signs (how very trendy) and white looping geometric rails.
Showcasing the work of 22 designers this year across ready-to-wear, accessories, scarves, jewellery, millinery and interiors, the display is curated by Brown Thomas Fashion Director Shelly Corkery and features beloved established Irish designers such as Mariad Whisker, Helen Cody and Úna Burke, as well as newcomers such as the recent NCAD grads Colin Burke and Laoise Carey.
My own personal highlights, however, have to be Domino Whisker's cute and tongue-in-cheek embroidered collars, badges and framed images and the beautifully crisp, modernised tradition of 31 Chapel Lane's linen clothing.
The showcase remains on display on the first floor of the Grafton Street store until the 13th of August 2017 and it is well-worth popping in to check it out.
Showing posts with label Irish designers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Irish designers. Show all posts
Wednesday, 19 July 2017
Monday, 11 July 2016
CREATE 2016 at Brown Thomas - Celebrating emerging Irish design talents
Create is a wonderful, annual display at Brown Thomas that finds, showcases and sells some of the best emerging design talent that Ireland has to offer. This year, in particular, the team has outdone themselves in the designers they have sourced, as well as the actual display itself which is a glass, lights and solid block colours affair, in retro shades of seafoam and dusty pink. The display was also admirably made using a lot of polycarbonate and sustainable materials, as sustainability is an increasing issue on the mind of the brand.
Launched on the 5th of July and running until the 14th of August, this year's Create is the 6th edition of the installation and brings together the work of 19 talented designers across ready-to-wear, accessories, millinery and jewellery in the Grafton Street store.
The popularity of the scheme was apparent as, the same day I made my trip to specifically check it out, I heard countless others, clearly there for the same reason, excitedly explain it to companions as they strolled about. However, Create is also important as it showcases for Irish designers that are starting out and introduces work that might be stocked in boutiques in some far off parts of the globe to home crowds.
Shelly Corkery, Fashion Director for Brown Thomas notes that they"are very proud of CREATE, as it shines a spotlight on the Brown Thomas tradition of discovering and promoting Irish Design talent, this year we have worked closely with the Chairman of the Council of Fashion Design, Eddie Shanahan and with NCAD to discover the designers of the future."
The designers include talents and brands such as Mary Gregory, Richard Malone, Madigan Whisker, Teatum Jones and Margaret O'Connor.
One of the personal highlights for me has to be the beautiful floral creations of Aideen Gaynor that are the first thing to greet you upon taking the escalator up to the exhibition. Chosen as this year's "Designer to Watch" from NCAD's Annual Graduate Fashion Show by Shelly Corkery, she certainly makes an immediate and memorable impact with her bold silhouettes and prints. The sculptural footwear pieces by Sandra Plantos also caught my eye. Displayed in glass cases and utterly impractical but brutally beautiful, they tread a fascinating line between art and design and reference her background in architecture with their unconventional forms and materials. I was also delighted to see pieces from Richard Malone, who I've been a fan of for a while now. This collection is very visibly his but there is a lightness and ease to it that shows how the designer has truly come into his own in a rather delightful way.
If you're anywhere near Brown Thomas over the next while, make a point to pop in and take in just how bright the future of Irish design real is. It'll warm the cockles of any fashion lover's heart right up.
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Launched on the 5th of July and running until the 14th of August, this year's Create is the 6th edition of the installation and brings together the work of 19 talented designers across ready-to-wear, accessories, millinery and jewellery in the Grafton Street store.
The popularity of the scheme was apparent as, the same day I made my trip to specifically check it out, I heard countless others, clearly there for the same reason, excitedly explain it to companions as they strolled about. However, Create is also important as it showcases for Irish designers that are starting out and introduces work that might be stocked in boutiques in some far off parts of the globe to home crowds.
Shelly Corkery, Fashion Director for Brown Thomas notes that they"are very proud of CREATE, as it shines a spotlight on the Brown Thomas tradition of discovering and promoting Irish Design talent, this year we have worked closely with the Chairman of the Council of Fashion Design, Eddie Shanahan and with NCAD to discover the designers of the future."
The designers include talents and brands such as Mary Gregory, Richard Malone, Madigan Whisker, Teatum Jones and Margaret O'Connor.
One of the personal highlights for me has to be the beautiful floral creations of Aideen Gaynor that are the first thing to greet you upon taking the escalator up to the exhibition. Chosen as this year's "Designer to Watch" from NCAD's Annual Graduate Fashion Show by Shelly Corkery, she certainly makes an immediate and memorable impact with her bold silhouettes and prints. The sculptural footwear pieces by Sandra Plantos also caught my eye. Displayed in glass cases and utterly impractical but brutally beautiful, they tread a fascinating line between art and design and reference her background in architecture with their unconventional forms and materials. I was also delighted to see pieces from Richard Malone, who I've been a fan of for a while now. This collection is very visibly his but there is a lightness and ease to it that shows how the designer has truly come into his own in a rather delightful way.
If you're anywhere near Brown Thomas over the next while, make a point to pop in and take in just how bright the future of Irish design real is. It'll warm the cockles of any fashion lover's heart right up.
*
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Wednesday, 30 March 2016
Dog Eat Dog (D.EA.D.) S/S16 Presentation
Last Friday evening, as light sheets of rain blew across the most beautiful sunset of the year so far, two friends and I made our way to the Dog Eat Dog Presentation being held in the Green on Red Gallery in Spencer Dock. I always enjoy sharing what I do with my friends and giving them a peek into the fashion world and I've been interested in this Dublin brand for years now, so I was already excited for the presentation.
Thankfully, it didn't disappoint. While I was a little confused when I realised that only five looks were being presented, I loved the setting, set and overall vibe.
Inspired by Thin Lizzy's video for "Chinatown", Oisín Hunt showed his clothes in a pared back version of the video's derelict, messy aesthetic. Palettes, tires and abandoned trolleys were artfully arranged in the white box style gallery, all painted white as well, transforming the inspiration and presenting it anew, turning the "messiness" and "dirtiness" on its head.
Seventies and eighties rock classics blared across the echoing, bare space, further setting the scene of this controlled imagining of rock and roll exuberance and vice. The clothes, themselves, continued the balance of order and chaos. Tracksuits - informal garments with a long connection to lower socio-economic groups and delinquency - are re-imagined as monochromatic, velvety co-ordinating pieces that, paired with the minimal styling, are suddenly more than themselves. They still tell the tale of a Dublin but there is something elegant about them. Likewise, the light wash, paint spattered double-denim looks - which should, in all rights, be montrosities - fit and flatter in a way that elevates them while nodding to a time past. Finally, if anything were to ever evoke the 80s in my mind, it's coloured leather and Hunt's white raw leather coat reminds of something plucked from my father's wardrobe but given a rather more chic spin by skimming the body and dusting over an all black look.
Hunt really has managed to recreate 80s Dublin but make it modern, wearable and cool but just nostalgic enough. I also think it rather commendable that the label presents womenswear for the very first time with garments that are very much unisex - something that is very topical and a direction clothing seems to logically be heading towards.
"Seldom Seen" is a collection that excites me. It may have slightly baffled my friends but I dig it.
Thankfully, it didn't disappoint. While I was a little confused when I realised that only five looks were being presented, I loved the setting, set and overall vibe.
Inspired by Thin Lizzy's video for "Chinatown", Oisín Hunt showed his clothes in a pared back version of the video's derelict, messy aesthetic. Palettes, tires and abandoned trolleys were artfully arranged in the white box style gallery, all painted white as well, transforming the inspiration and presenting it anew, turning the "messiness" and "dirtiness" on its head.
Seventies and eighties rock classics blared across the echoing, bare space, further setting the scene of this controlled imagining of rock and roll exuberance and vice. The clothes, themselves, continued the balance of order and chaos. Tracksuits - informal garments with a long connection to lower socio-economic groups and delinquency - are re-imagined as monochromatic, velvety co-ordinating pieces that, paired with the minimal styling, are suddenly more than themselves. They still tell the tale of a Dublin but there is something elegant about them. Likewise, the light wash, paint spattered double-denim looks - which should, in all rights, be montrosities - fit and flatter in a way that elevates them while nodding to a time past. Finally, if anything were to ever evoke the 80s in my mind, it's coloured leather and Hunt's white raw leather coat reminds of something plucked from my father's wardrobe but given a rather more chic spin by skimming the body and dusting over an all black look.
Hunt really has managed to recreate 80s Dublin but make it modern, wearable and cool but just nostalgic enough. I also think it rather commendable that the label presents womenswear for the very first time with garments that are very much unisex - something that is very topical and a direction clothing seems to logically be heading towards.
"Seldom Seen" is a collection that excites me. It may have slightly baffled my friends but I dig it.
Thursday, 15 October 2015
Pamela Scott AW15 - "The Collection"
One of the most admirable things that a brand can do is take a new direction without leaving loyal customers behind or losing their identity. It's a difficult line to tread, indeed. Yet, Pamela Scott seems to have managed it.
As I walked into the press day, I noted the garments that my aunt or mother would normally visit the store for were still present on the racks; classic, warm coats, elegant knitwear, dresses fit for the office and weddings. Pamela Scott, after 40 years in business, knows what their woman wants and makes sure she'll keep returning to get it.
But they're also opening the door to a younger woman who they say is in her forties. One look at "The Collection," however, and I find I could wear much of it myself. In fact, there are some crisp pieces that I've been keeping an eye out for elsewhere to no avail.
The Collection offers pieces that look and feel much more expensive than they are. There are some pretty dresses - some exceptionally pretty dresses - suitable, again, for both office and party alike but there are also some separates that are seriously cool. One of my favourite looks from the whole collection is a pair of black, clean culottes with a floaty cream pussybow blouse. The blouse hits at the 70s trend that is everywhere but is simple enough to outlive the trend. The culottes are the perfect shape and length and utterly wearable - something I've been trying and failing to find. Pamela Scott knows real women and real bodies and these clothes are easy to put on without stressing about careful styling to make trends designed for models work on shorter or curvier forms.
Another highlight are the coats - one in camel and another in a deep, rich green. Tailored and neat, they are the perfect piece to dress any outfit up for any occasion. These are wardrobe staples that will earn their keep rather than gather dust.
Capes also appear. One is navy and structured - a little Gossip Girl, in that regard - and the other is a big, drapey knit piece in grey tones. Both are timelessly chic and on trend.
After viewing the show and being impressed by it, I ventured upstairs, at their encouragement to become better acquainted with the store at large and was taken aback by the quantity and range of formalwear. I was unaware but if you're after a Debs or bridal party dress, they've kind of got you covered!
Pamela Scott knows Irish women and a much wider cross-section of the population than I previously thought. They know how to dress our bodies and what we want and how we celebrate. And now they're also being a little more fashion-forward. They'll probably never make faddy, super on-trend pieces but, rather, garments that you'll cherish and wear over and over again with just enough awareness of current taste to be fashionable and enough timelessness to remain relevant for years to come.
Here's to the next forty years of this great Irish institution of fashion!
As I walked into the press day, I noted the garments that my aunt or mother would normally visit the store for were still present on the racks; classic, warm coats, elegant knitwear, dresses fit for the office and weddings. Pamela Scott, after 40 years in business, knows what their woman wants and makes sure she'll keep returning to get it.
But they're also opening the door to a younger woman who they say is in her forties. One look at "The Collection," however, and I find I could wear much of it myself. In fact, there are some crisp pieces that I've been keeping an eye out for elsewhere to no avail.
The Collection offers pieces that look and feel much more expensive than they are. There are some pretty dresses - some exceptionally pretty dresses - suitable, again, for both office and party alike but there are also some separates that are seriously cool. One of my favourite looks from the whole collection is a pair of black, clean culottes with a floaty cream pussybow blouse. The blouse hits at the 70s trend that is everywhere but is simple enough to outlive the trend. The culottes are the perfect shape and length and utterly wearable - something I've been trying and failing to find. Pamela Scott knows real women and real bodies and these clothes are easy to put on without stressing about careful styling to make trends designed for models work on shorter or curvier forms.
Another highlight are the coats - one in camel and another in a deep, rich green. Tailored and neat, they are the perfect piece to dress any outfit up for any occasion. These are wardrobe staples that will earn their keep rather than gather dust.
Capes also appear. One is navy and structured - a little Gossip Girl, in that regard - and the other is a big, drapey knit piece in grey tones. Both are timelessly chic and on trend.
After viewing the show and being impressed by it, I ventured upstairs, at their encouragement to become better acquainted with the store at large and was taken aback by the quantity and range of formalwear. I was unaware but if you're after a Debs or bridal party dress, they've kind of got you covered!
Pamela Scott knows Irish women and a much wider cross-section of the population than I previously thought. They know how to dress our bodies and what we want and how we celebrate. And now they're also being a little more fashion-forward. They'll probably never make faddy, super on-trend pieces but, rather, garments that you'll cherish and wear over and over again with just enough awareness of current taste to be fashionable and enough timelessness to remain relevant for years to come.
Here's to the next forty years of this great Irish institution of fashion!
(Thanks to Pamela Scott, Sorcha and the team at Elevate for inviting me!)
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Thursday, 1 January 2015
2015 - The Year of Irish Design
It's now officially the Year of Irish Design (and 2015) so I'm majorly excited for what is to come! This year is going to be a celebration of the best and the brightest of established and emerging design talent from Ireland both at home and abroad. Expect exhibitions, talks, trade shows, workshops, conferences based around all aspects of design including architecture, clothing, objects, tech.
Over the course of the year, I'll be hitting up some of the events and posting about them. And, I'll definitely be supporting the initiative. Not just to support job creation but to truly celebrate the unbelievably talented designers that we produce as a nation. Hopefully, I'll also be able to tie in some great studio visits and interviews to add my own two cents to the whole thing.
But for now, here are some of the events that I'm most looking forward to this year:
Second Skin
National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny
7/11/2014 - 25/01/2015
City Hall, London
16/03/2015 - 25/03/2015
This exhibition looks at production, consumption and sustainability and showcases the work Jennifer Rothwell, Joanne Hynes, NATALIEBCOLEMAN and Lennon Courtney.
Fresh Talent
National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny,
7/02/2015 - 18/03/2015
Irish Eyes on Fashion
Gallery of Photography
2/03/2015 - 29/03/2015
Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things
Design Hub, Dublin Castle Coach House
3/04/2015 - 14/06/2015
Vitra Design Museum will show 36 everyday objects looking at their conceptual and economic significance.
Irish Design Here/Now
National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny
July until September
Goldsmithing and Jewellery
National Craft Gallery
13/07/2015 - 30/07/2015
Ireland on Film - Costumes from Iconic Irish Movies
The Little Museum of Dublin
August until September
Over the course of the year, I'll be hitting up some of the events and posting about them. And, I'll definitely be supporting the initiative. Not just to support job creation but to truly celebrate the unbelievably talented designers that we produce as a nation. Hopefully, I'll also be able to tie in some great studio visits and interviews to add my own two cents to the whole thing.
 |
| Image from a design by Lennon Courtney for the Second Skin exhibition. |
But for now, here are some of the events that I'm most looking forward to this year:
Second Skin
National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny
7/11/2014 - 25/01/2015
City Hall, London
16/03/2015 - 25/03/2015
This exhibition looks at production, consumption and sustainability and showcases the work Jennifer Rothwell, Joanne Hynes, NATALIEBCOLEMAN and Lennon Courtney.
Fresh Talent
National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny,
7/02/2015 - 18/03/2015
Irish Eyes on Fashion
Gallery of Photography
2/03/2015 - 29/03/2015
Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things
Design Hub, Dublin Castle Coach House
3/04/2015 - 14/06/2015
Vitra Design Museum will show 36 everyday objects looking at their conceptual and economic significance.
Irish Design Here/Now
National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny
July until September
Goldsmithing and Jewellery
National Craft Gallery
13/07/2015 - 30/07/2015
Ireland on Film - Costumes from Iconic Irish Movies
The Little Museum of Dublin
August until September
Any events you're excited for?
Sunday, 28 December 2014
Spring 2015 Looks
At the start of the AW season, I did a wee post where I put together some examples of the types of looks I was feeling for the season. I liked how that turned out so I thought I'd do another for Spring 2015 - especially as for most of Spring around my neck of the woods (Ireland) there's a lot of awkward in-between season dressing where the weather is still frightfully cold and miserable. Partly inspired by actual trends, partly inspired by my life and infused with my own twist on things - there's a touch of Saint Laurent SS15 and seventies vibes, there's an outfit inspired by how my mother used to dress me as a kid and another all-white number that comes from my love for Danielle Romeril SS15 and what Cos showed in their preview for next season.
What will you be wearing this season?
What will you be wearing this season?
Tuesday, 25 November 2014
Look what we've Dunnes and how far we've come
Dunnes is changing.
It's been a gradual process that's begun to speed up. Introducing designer collaborations over time and lines such as Savida and Gallery updated a value-friendly old stalwart of Irish design and shopping. The grannyish vibe is dying out. And it's being replaced by something still reasonably priced but infinitely more interesting and a hell of a lot cooler.
In fact, it's probably the most effective use of designer collaborations that I've seen. Instead of having a one-off or annual model of inviting new designers to design collections, Dunnes have taken on regular collaborators who design new collections across homeware and clothing (and now food) each season. They've tied well-respected names to their brand and have given them the room and time to cultivate their brand within the brand. The collections only grow and increase in strength, making Dunnes stores almost unrecognisable.
The homeware unit for Dunnes in my local, the Swan Centre in Rathmines, was renovated over the summer and it looks amazing now. (It's kind of dangerous, actually, too much temptation.) I want to shop there. Being inside the store is like being in much higher-end décor and furniture shops, it's all much more considered, thought out. From the layout to the products. And the concept store on George's Street always make Savida and Gallery pieces feel like you're shopping in a boutique.
The whole thing just makes me weirdly...proud? Like, I've always liked the brand and I love to support Irish design and companies. To see the improvements and growth and energy in such an old and established brand is really inspirational.
PSA: This is how you do the designer collab. And do it right.
It's been a gradual process that's begun to speed up. Introducing designer collaborations over time and lines such as Savida and Gallery updated a value-friendly old stalwart of Irish design and shopping. The grannyish vibe is dying out. And it's being replaced by something still reasonably priced but infinitely more interesting and a hell of a lot cooler.
In fact, it's probably the most effective use of designer collaborations that I've seen. Instead of having a one-off or annual model of inviting new designers to design collections, Dunnes have taken on regular collaborators who design new collections across homeware and clothing (and now food) each season. They've tied well-respected names to their brand and have given them the room and time to cultivate their brand within the brand. The collections only grow and increase in strength, making Dunnes stores almost unrecognisable.
The homeware unit for Dunnes in my local, the Swan Centre in Rathmines, was renovated over the summer and it looks amazing now. (It's kind of dangerous, actually, too much temptation.) I want to shop there. Being inside the store is like being in much higher-end décor and furniture shops, it's all much more considered, thought out. From the layout to the products. And the concept store on George's Street always make Savida and Gallery pieces feel like you're shopping in a boutique.
The whole thing just makes me weirdly...proud? Like, I've always liked the brand and I love to support Irish design and companies. To see the improvements and growth and energy in such an old and established brand is really inspirational.
PSA: This is how you do the designer collab. And do it right.
So, are y'all feeling the new Dunnes as much as me? And for readers not located in Ireland, you've added it to the list of things to do when you visit, right?
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