ISLE - Jewellery Inspired By Ireland and Formed By Japanese Aesthetics

On my first Galway Fashion Trail last November, I saw, and fell in love with, the delicate jewellery of ISLE. The brainchild of two Northern Irish sisters - Ger, who lives in Tokyo, and Helen, who lives in Belfast - it is a brand inspired by the tales and natural beauty of Ireland and informed by the minimalist aesthetic and emphasis on craftsmanship of Japan. Each piece is handmade in Ireland and then beautifully presented in high quality packaging from Japan.

I wanted to know more about these two sisters and the magic jewellery that they produced; their thoughts on design and Irish design, in particular; their inspirations; and why it's important to support smaller makers.

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Moi: How did ISLE come about? Can you tell us a little about its journey as a brand?

Ger: Starting some form of jewellery business was something that I'd thought about a lot over the years, ever since I started making jewellery for high school art projects. Although I loved painting, drawing and photography, I was especially drawn to metals and the mixed media possibilities of jewellery. So, I studied Metalsmithing & Jewellery at the University of Ulster in Belfast, but after, decided to become an Art teacher in England. After a few years there, my partner/boyfriend and I wanted to experience living further abroad and decided to have a go at living in Tokyo and here we still are.

ISLE has evolved a lot since the original idea that came about from a discussion with a Japanese friend who worked in the jewellery business in Tokyo. We planned to create jewellery that would tell stories of Ireland, introducing Irish culture to people that probably hadn't heard much about it.

Unfortunately, my Japanese friend wasn't able to continue with the initial progress we had made. So, instead of giving up, I turned to my sister Helen, who has long been a part of my design process - even coming in on the night before my final degree show to sit on the floor sanding and painting the display furniture for my installation. We work well together and are constantly sending images back and forth and bouncing ideas around.

Her main medium is textile but she has quickly learnt a lot about Metalsmithing and works closely with our talented Belfast-based makers.

My whole family is involved in ISLE in some form now and have been an amazing help.



Why are you so inspired by Ireland?

I guess living so far from home in an incredibly different culture, makes you think about where you come from and you look at things you took for granted with fresh eyes. I regularly go back home to Co. Down and yet it hits me every time I arrive; the landscape, the people, the atmosphere.



Who do you admire? What things inspire you?

Everything. I have about a thousand design ideas passing through my head a day. I have to tell myself to be quiet and focus on one thing (or else Helen will tell me Neutral Face). Sometimes you see a building that could be translated into a necklace or an accidental collection of colours that would make a beautiful print pattern. I have a crazy amount of photos that I've captured hoping that I'll go back to them someday and create something original from them

I admire the people that, in an age of mass production and fantastic digital machinery, are opting for a slow, focused and considered way creating. The joy of craftsmanship is not totally lost and I believe appreciation for it is growing again in Ireland.



Who is your customer?

We are our customers really. We want to offer contemporary jewellery that presents something deeper than passing fashion. Jewellery that is both stylish and has lasting quality, that reflects modern trends but that can be a future heirloom.



Why should people support smaller makers?

Supporting smaller makers allows for diversity, for uniqueness



If you could do anything you wanted - no limitations - what would ISLE do?

We don't have huge crazy ambitions for ISLE, we just want to keep on designing and making and hope that we can share what we do with people who feel the same as us. Sorry that's a boring answer, isn't it? But it's true.



What are you most proud of?

Surviving this far.

(All images belong to ISLE and are reproduced here with permission.)

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Genderless Kei

Gender and our relationship with its performance is increasingly a discussion entering mainstream consciousness. Of course, there has been an on-going dialogue about, and questioning of, such things for a long time now but it has often been relegated to LGBT, feminist, sociological or liberal spaces.

And fashion. Fashion has always been interested in gender and how we wear it and can play with that, challenge it, change it.

Not that long ago, separate weeks were established for men's collections in several of the fashion capitals and, already, this idea is coming back into question with many designers showcasing womenswear and menswear together. Designers such as JW Anderson began in menswear and developed so many female fans that he was encouraged to produce a women's line. Yet, even then he constantly blurs the lines between the two. He is but one of a slew of menswear designers that is keen to adopts aspects of womenswear into his clothes for men. Even Selfridges', a long-standing fashion institution in Britain, had a unisex pop-up last year.

Hems in menswear, even in highstreet brands, drop lower and lower, kilts or skirts or skirt-like garments sneak in all over the place, whether being sported by Kanye West, worn by Jayden Smith in a photoshoot or embraced once more by men with heritages where they are traditionally worn.

Of course, Tom, Dick or Harry walking down the street probably isn't rocking an off-the-shoulder top or full-on dress but it's hard not to note a shift in the air.

Which brings us to Japan and the Genderless Kei movement which has been getting more and more press attention as of late, though those outside the media hype machine are loathe to actually call it a movement or subculture what with it being relatively young and difficult to pin down.

The movement has been adopted largely by straight (this is not the case for all proponents of the style but it is important to note that there isn't necessarily an overt connection with the LGBT scene or sexuality), fashionable young Japanese men interested in incorporating elements of female dress and grooming into their own wardrobes. Many are social media stars or models and work with big fashion and beauty brands.

The interesting thing to note is that these men are not trying to dress like women but to add typically female elements to their own sense of dress and normalise the combining of the two. They may wear make-up or colours, fabrics or items of clothing normally confined to womenswear but the overall look is still "masculine".

In this regard, the movement aligns with the fashion climate being seen all over the world but in a more coherent and active way.

But what does this all mean for the future of menswear?

Fashion subcultures often emerge in Japan and they can be quite influential, become international and have a wider trickle-down effect. The Genderless Kei movement, as I've said, fits into a larger trend or shift in fashion that has been a long time coming and has many historical precursors.

Will we see people rocking it on the daily worldwide anytime soon? Probably not but I'm all kinds of excited for the future of menswear all the same.

Sakupan

Yohdi Kondo

Pey

Toman

P-Chan

Devil

So, what do you guys make of the whole thing?
(PS Hat-tip to Tokyo Fashion for inspiring this piece.)

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