The Powerscourt Town Centre is probably one of the best spots to recommend to visitors to Dublin. It is a stunning historic home (once actually a Georgian townhouse that was home to the Viscount Powerscourt and since converted into an especially beautiful shopping centre) to some high street retailers but the majority of the building is taken up by independent Irish brands, restaurants, cafes and bars. The top floor of the building has long since been a mecca for Irish design, in particular, where design legends like Jennifer Rothwell and the ground-breaking Design Centre, a two-decade old centre of the best of independent design in Dublin, can be found. And now the top floor also has a one-stop spot for some of the coolest contemporary brands and labels at work in our lovely little isle. This is the perfect complement and continuation of the legacy established by the Design Centre.
The [ MADE ] Store & Gallery is a concept store that curates the very best collections from leading contemporary designers and artists and was established by Kate Nolan & Chupi Sweetman (of the eponymous jewellery label).
With large windows that flood the space with perfectly beautiful light and a spacious set-up that leaves plenty to be seen and plenty of space to see it in without being either sparse or overly packed, the store makes for a pleasant shopping environment - the perfect place to wander into and browse on a lazy Sunday after brunch.
The store is home to internationally recognised Irish designers and brands such as NATALIE B COLEMAN, Danielle Romeril, Sorcha O’Raghallaigh, Chupi, We Are Islanders, Jill de Burca, Edel Traynor, Beatriz Palacios as well as emerging contemporary designers and is a uniquely Irish shopping experience that is rare to find elsewhere. Beautifully curated, it is a chance to bring back a little bit of authentically Irish 21st century design if you're just visiting or to track down more ethical clothing options and support local creatives if you're a native.
In a world of fast fashion and giant corporations that mimic the same clothes, concepts and floor plans all over the globe, it is a rare and precious thing to find such a place nowadays so here's hoping that they replicate the decades of success that its neighbours in the Design Centre have seen.
Showing posts with label Little Gem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Little Gem. Show all posts
Monday, 12 September 2016
Wednesday, 15 July 2015
Little Gem: Indigo & Cloth
Continuing my series on places to shop in Dublin that you might not be aware of but which are awesome, here's another one for the mens*. Indigo & Cloth is located on 9 Essex Street in Temple Bar, right next to The Clarence Hotel, and they also have a store in the lobby of The Dean Hotel, Harcourt Street. The Temple Bar store not only stocks menswear, accessories, magazines, homewares and skincare but also houses a fantastic café where you can get some seriously good tea (always a challenge), what I'm sure is great coffee (I don't drink it so this is an educated guess) and little bites to eat.
I'd been meaning to pop in for AGES as I pass the shop each day but only got around to it yesterday and I was super-impressed. There was plenty of stuff I wanted for myself and the brands which are stocked tend to have clean, simple and timeless designs that would endear them to any stylish person.
Things that I was particularly attracted to were the selection of rad, sturdy-looking backpacks and accessories, the cute prints, the items by Irish brands such as Dyflin, the skincare and the range of magazines I had never even heard of before. Other brands stocked include Rains, Sunspel, Oliver Spencer, Sandqvist and Spektre so there's plenty of labels that you can't find readily elsewhere in the city.
The price range is somewhat higher end but you're paying for quality and design that won't age rapidly. This is the place to update your wardrobe, make it more grown-up and chic and to buy gifts. Plus, there's that café to refuel if you're one of those weirdos that finds shopping harrowing rather than exhilarating (I kid, I kid) or to dump any whiners that might be in your party.
Plus, it just looks so damn cool.
(* or anyone who likes to wear clothing which was designed originally for men)
*
I'd been meaning to pop in for AGES as I pass the shop each day but only got around to it yesterday and I was super-impressed. There was plenty of stuff I wanted for myself and the brands which are stocked tend to have clean, simple and timeless designs that would endear them to any stylish person.
Things that I was particularly attracted to were the selection of rad, sturdy-looking backpacks and accessories, the cute prints, the items by Irish brands such as Dyflin, the skincare and the range of magazines I had never even heard of before. Other brands stocked include Rains, Sunspel, Oliver Spencer, Sandqvist and Spektre so there's plenty of labels that you can't find readily elsewhere in the city.
The price range is somewhat higher end but you're paying for quality and design that won't age rapidly. This is the place to update your wardrobe, make it more grown-up and chic and to buy gifts. Plus, there's that café to refuel if you're one of those weirdos that finds shopping harrowing rather than exhilarating (I kid, I kid) or to dump any whiners that might be in your party.
Plus, it just looks so damn cool.
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Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Little Gem: Folkster
Last year, I posted about the arrival of Folkster (and sister brands Shutterbug and Gild & Cage) in Dublin with much excitement. A friend worked in the Kilkenny branch and I had creeped on the store online for years but had never experienced it for myself. Ergo the joy when Dublin got her own branch!
It was only recently that I realised I had yet to dedicate a "Little Gem" post to the store.
And obviously that needed rectifying.
Based on Eustace Street, right by the IFI, the store is divided into three main sections. You enter into clothing both new and vintage, alongside jewellery and accessories, proceed through the homewares and gifts and end up in the more formal department where the changing rooms also live. As I mentioned last time, one of my favourite things about the store is that it caters for a wide range of women and budgets. It's somewhere to buy stompy boots and pretty dresses. To pick up a funny card for a friend's birthday or choose a wedding dress. Buy a whole wardrobe update or a statement necklace. Grab a new mug or rug.
There's lots to see and choose from but I never feel overwhelmed or panicky (Topshop Oxford Circus made me break out in a sweat) because it's all masterfully and artfully arranged and organised. You'll also be hard pressed to find nicer staff who have the balance of helping when you're lost while never over-crowding you so down.
If you're nearby and want to support an Irish company, get something a little different, find Fairtrade brands, vintage pieces or get items from labels such as Jeffrey Campbell and Miista (which can be difficult to get your hands on in Ireland), this is the place for you!
P.S. Dat light tho. All shops should be this airy and bright.
*
It was only recently that I realised I had yet to dedicate a "Little Gem" post to the store.
And obviously that needed rectifying.
Based on Eustace Street, right by the IFI, the store is divided into three main sections. You enter into clothing both new and vintage, alongside jewellery and accessories, proceed through the homewares and gifts and end up in the more formal department where the changing rooms also live. As I mentioned last time, one of my favourite things about the store is that it caters for a wide range of women and budgets. It's somewhere to buy stompy boots and pretty dresses. To pick up a funny card for a friend's birthday or choose a wedding dress. Buy a whole wardrobe update or a statement necklace. Grab a new mug or rug.
There's lots to see and choose from but I never feel overwhelmed or panicky (Topshop Oxford Circus made me break out in a sweat) because it's all masterfully and artfully arranged and organised. You'll also be hard pressed to find nicer staff who have the balance of helping when you're lost while never over-crowding you so down.
If you're nearby and want to support an Irish company, get something a little different, find Fairtrade brands, vintage pieces or get items from labels such as Jeffrey Campbell and Miista (which can be difficult to get your hands on in Ireland), this is the place for you!
P.S. Dat light tho. All shops should be this airy and bright.
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