Little Gem: [ MADE ]

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.

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ID2015: NATALIEBCOLEMAN SS15 - Be Still My Bleeding Heart

Natalie's SS15 collection is a singularly romantic, beautiful and emotive one. Entitled, "Be Still My Bleeding Heart," it commemorates her mother's twentieth anniversary and draws huge inspiration from the Sacred Heart motif which has been abstracted and reimagined.

Think florals, delicate structuring, elegant lengths, pretty geometric prints and a highly restrained palette. Really the only words are ones like "pretty" and "romantic". It's just so damn cute! It's beautiful and playful and takes the religious-tinged inspiration in wonderful new and highly unexpected directions. This is how you take such a clear vision and translate it into something wearable and covetable without venturing anywhere near the realm of costume.

Plus, can veils be a thing? Love.

Take a gander at the lookbook and become as entirely enamoured as I am.

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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.

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?

2014

This year has been a momentous one for me and this blog. In a single year, it has grown hugely in reader numbers, regard and opportunities. I've been sent away on a trip for it, been able to run more competitions than ever before, met amazing people and learned an inestimable amount.

I've started being invited to events and launches and now work on a regular basis with PR companies. I got the opportunity to go review the Lusty Beg spa and hotel in the North. I met and interviewed Kitty Moss, my favourite Irish illustrator, hung out with Natalie Coleman in her studio, had tea with Helen James in the recently opened Considered Café. I met and photographed the lovely Sarah and Josie and learned about lolita fashion. Friends were also made in the Irish blogger community. I got to indulge my love for Cleo on a deeper level and was invited to the first ever Dublin Institute of Design show. There were four press mentions of the blog in National media this year. Plenty of stuff got sent to me to review. Cool (I hope) outfits were worn. And I was shortlisted for Best Fashion blog in the Irish Blog Awards once more. Oh, and I made my blog aim for the year happen - I was at the Alexander Wang x H&M launch.

These things make me feel giddy, impossibly lucky and incredibly thankful. Thankful to you, the readers, and to any brands or designers or companies that value my hard work and the quality I try to ensure over insane numbers of followers. To anyone who reads this blog on a regular, semi-regular or intermittent basis - I sincerely thank you. You have no idea what it means to me. And, hopefully, with your help we can continue to grow together. To any first time readers, welcome and do pop back anytime! To those who've given me their time or who I've met through the blog - I'm so glad I got the opportunity to do so!

Everything I'm so proud of is pretty minor league stuff and I'm not getting ahead of myself here but I'm still happy with my wee achievements all the same. Let's hope it's only up and out from here!

How was your 2014?