Design Challenge and Design Ideas

This collection was designed for Autumn/Winter 2018 to present at London and Paris during their respective fashion weeks. My challenge was to examine the conflict between traditionality and rebellion through fashion design. These for me have been the two dominant themes over the last few years for women and I wanted my work to respond to this. The collection title ‘Guaranteed to Bleed’ was reflective of the fight to Repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland.

How the brief was fulfilled

It was very much influenced by the change that I felt was happening in Ireland and other countries, we are in a time of multiple feminisms, and I wanted to reflect this. The title, ‘Guaranteed to Bleed’ is straight to the point. I wanted to celebrate women’s femininity and fertility, women’s periods should not be an embarrassment or something to be ashamed of, the culture around menstruation needs to change to women and girls feeling empowered and celebrated. There has to be an end to period poverty; sanitary products should be free in all secondary schools.

The collection is also influenced by the vulnerability and heartache of the slow dismantling of a relationship; the heart bleed, the bruised heart, the aching rebel heart, it has always been a fascination to me through art, poetry and history. The collection pieces were charged with passion, cardinal reds, and bold graphics.

We included Irish linens, tweeds, silk taffetas, wool embroidered with messages in French knots. The collection is mainly focused on Irish fabrics inspired by tradition, nostalgia, rebelliousness and romanticism. The materials are unique to the label, the softest textured Irish linens and heritage Donegal Tweeds that are woven by sixth-generation Irish weavers. Our embroidery, crochet and beading were all hand embellished and knitted in our Dublin based design studio, with all screen printing carried out in Dublin.