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 Chupi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chupi. Show all posts
Monday, 12 September 2016
Monday, 9 November 2015
Chupi Turns Ten!
Last week, I popped into the wee tenth birthday party that was being held for Irish brand, Chupi, in the Powerscourt Townhouse as I'm a big fan and supporter of the label.
Chupi Sweetman makes jewellery that is meaningful. As in, truly full of meaning. Giving someone one of her pieces is not merely giving them something pretty and sparkly but telling them how you really feel.They are, of course, still pretty but there's much more to it than just that.
This ability, to put into objects, the things you most want to say, is one of the reasons that Chupi has become such an important name in Irish design. It's why Topshop scouted her in first year of college and made her the youngest designer that they had collaborated with. It's why the brand endures. It's why we are celebrating ten years of Chupi.
There are lots of reasons to love the label but among them is the fact that the pieces are designed, manufactured and finished in Ireland - making them ethical, the opposite of mass-produced, lovingly constructed and good for the Irish economy. All good things!
Inspired by nature and objects around her, Chupi uses feathers, leaves, coins and twigs to turn something small and mundane into something beautiful. She finds the beauty in these things and gives them the spotlight that they deserve. She turns a hawthorn twig into a variety of symbols; interconnected rings to symbolise a deep connection between two people, a simple circle for eternity, a short segment on a chain as something sturdy to represent support. She makes messages, love letters written in silver, gold and gems.
Funnily enough, I found the brand through one of the people I love most in the world. When Chupi was a young brand, my childhood best friend told me about her. In fact, she raved, if I remember correctly, about this label she had seen at a market in Temple Bar. A few years later, I bought a Chupi dress from Topshop as a college student. Now, though I don't wear the dress as often, I see the tag as I look through my closet or I read an interview with Chupi herself or see an article about the brand and I smile because it will ever be interconnected to a friend's passionate love of design in my mind.
If you're looking for design that attracts this kind of love and devotion, which is so lovingly made and which conveys love so beautifully, Chupi is what you're after. And, after ten years, they know what they're doing.
Happy Birthday, Chupi. I wish you guys every success in the future!
Chupi Sweetman makes jewellery that is meaningful. As in, truly full of meaning. Giving someone one of her pieces is not merely giving them something pretty and sparkly but telling them how you really feel.They are, of course, still pretty but there's much more to it than just that.
This ability, to put into objects, the things you most want to say, is one of the reasons that Chupi has become such an important name in Irish design. It's why Topshop scouted her in first year of college and made her the youngest designer that they had collaborated with. It's why the brand endures. It's why we are celebrating ten years of Chupi.
There are lots of reasons to love the label but among them is the fact that the pieces are designed, manufactured and finished in Ireland - making them ethical, the opposite of mass-produced, lovingly constructed and good for the Irish economy. All good things!
Inspired by nature and objects around her, Chupi uses feathers, leaves, coins and twigs to turn something small and mundane into something beautiful. She finds the beauty in these things and gives them the spotlight that they deserve. She turns a hawthorn twig into a variety of symbols; interconnected rings to symbolise a deep connection between two people, a simple circle for eternity, a short segment on a chain as something sturdy to represent support. She makes messages, love letters written in silver, gold and gems.
Funnily enough, I found the brand through one of the people I love most in the world. When Chupi was a young brand, my childhood best friend told me about her. In fact, she raved, if I remember correctly, about this label she had seen at a market in Temple Bar. A few years later, I bought a Chupi dress from Topshop as a college student. Now, though I don't wear the dress as often, I see the tag as I look through my closet or I read an interview with Chupi herself or see an article about the brand and I smile because it will ever be interconnected to a friend's passionate love of design in my mind.
If you're looking for design that attracts this kind of love and devotion, which is so lovingly made and which conveys love so beautifully, Chupi is what you're after. And, after ten years, they know what they're doing.
Happy Birthday, Chupi. I wish you guys every success in the future!
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Monday, 8 December 2014
Gift Guide 2014 - Irish Design
The price range varies quite a bit from stocking stuffers under €5 to bigger gifts like the We Are Islanders clutch/I-Pad case. I also tried to make the items largely suitable for people across a range of age groups and genders. Several items are from Heatons and Dunnes Stores and their designer collaborations that I'm so fond of but there are also items from great Irish designers like Natalie B Coleman and small companies like Snow.
Next year is the year of Irish design so why not give someone you love a head start? I'm excited. Are you?
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