Irish fashion designers have had to adapt businesses in a time of coronavirus
Designer Heidi Higgins wearing her 'Luella' face mask (€30) which has generated a €1,300 donation to Women's Aid.
Irish design in the time of Covid-19 is having a rebirth. Designers running small businesses could be forgiven for feeling that this is the worst of times yet with tenacity and innovation they are making Irish design exciting again. There is a sense of coming together, of supporting each other through the crisis all the while taking Irish design on a more sustainable route.
It is time to rejoice in local craftsmanship and design that Irish creatives do so well. They may have been knocked down but they will certainly get back up again, with more determination than before. I think the best of Irish design is soon to come.
It was as though serendipity was at play when designer Heidi Higgins took the decision to close her boutique after 10 years. Little did she know that the proposed closure and move to bring her business fully online would coincide with the outbreak of Covid-19.
“ I moved to our new house in Tipperary late last year and had my second baby two months ago so I wanted to strike that happy balance of work and family life,” says Higgins. “I decided to close my boutique after 10 years to sell exclusively online. Covid and closures all started in March which was when I was due to close the shop officially so for me the timing was very apt.”
However as an occasion wear designer Higgins felt the brunt of events such as weddings and race meetings being cancelled.
“As my main collection was focused a lot on special occasion wear sales slowed down dramatically as all events got cancelled one after another,” she says.
Despite a slump in sales mixed with the uncertainty of Covid-19, Higgins tapped into those savvy business skills that in the past saw her win Woman of the Year for Fashion with Irish Tatler magazine.
“I felt I needed to pivot my collection and make the most of a bad situation and keep myself and my seamstresses going so I designed some face masks,” says the designer.
Along with face masks — which Higgins has donated €1,300 to Woman’s Aid from the profits — she has taken her collections in a new direction.
“I have been working on a more smart casual collection called ‘Carpe Diem’, which is made in small quantities here in Ireland,” says Higgins. “The future of fashion is ever evolving but good design and good quality will always have its place, supporting Irish businesses and designers is more important now than ever.”
From the cobbled streets of Paris to the wide-open spaces of Limerick, designer Aoife McNamara has seen her debut label Aoife Ireland flourish since its inception in 2019.
What began as simply making clothes she loved for herself, her label began to grow organically.
“I dressed my friend Louise Cooney for London Fashion Week and I started to see interest grow online for the designs,” says McNamara. “I really loved what I was designing so I kind of went for it and started selling online.”
McNamara brings a fresh, contemporary twist to Irish design by using traditional wool fabrics that are locally sourced; with standout pieces like her pink tailored trousers and cropped wool blazers.
What was a promising first year McNamara inevitably saw a slow down in sales when Covid-19 hit.
“Sales dipped a bit when Covid happened but as we were all in lockdown I saw that interaction online grew,” she says. “I took the time to take a step back and to look at what it was I wanted to do. For me it isn’t all about selling, I want Aoife Ireland to be a community and to educate people on the sustainable aspects of fashion.”
With this in mind, McNamara has acquired her dream space in the stunning Limerick village of Adare. Here she aspires to create a space for young Irish creatives to showcase their work alongside her own Aoife Ireland designs.
“The cottage is a space where I hope the Aoife Ireland community can grow,” she says. “I want people to fall back in love with fashion and understand the craftsmanship of Irish design. I want it to be fun, educational and meaningful.”
Since the mid-nineties Pat Whyte jewellery has been synonymous with complementing occasion wear. A veteran of Irish jewellery design, Whyte has seen her business weather many a financial storm but none as distinct as the effect of Covid-19.
“The financial crash saw drastic changes for my business. Back then it resulted in me having to let my staff go and becoming a one-woman show,” says Whyte. “This time things are very different. I had to step back and think carefully how to navigate through it.”
Whyte’s statement jewellery pieces are handmade in Italian studios, a process that is not conducive to recent times.
“The past few months have pushed me to do something very different so I took the decision to put my whole collection online,” she says. “Since doing so people are starting to rediscover my designs and I have had some lovely feedback. Being online allows me to deal directly with my customers which is something I very much enjoy.”
Navigating the internet isn’t the only new venture Whyte has embarked upon. Harking back to her creative days and with the studios still closed in Italy, Whyte has begun to restyle some of her old pieces.
“I have started to tap into my creative side again,” says Whyte. “With sustainability being so important I decided to look to some old stock I had and restyle them in a more contemporary way.”
Despite the differing landscape, Whyte remains positive this time will lead to more support for Irish design and local businesses.
From honing her craft working with designer labels like Diane Von Furstenberg and John Galliano, designer Niamh O’Neill has created her own successful label since returning home in 2012. Known for her unique and stunning prints, O’Neill was just at the brink of launching her latest summer collection when the country went into lockdown.
“When the country went into lockdown, it was a major shock and I was really worried for the business,” she says. “However our retail partners were incredible and there was a real sense of working together to get through.”
While her customer base remained loyal O’Neill quickly realised to sustain growth throughout these differing times she needed to be innovative and began designing face coverings with the same beautiful prints used in her collections. Selling out in a matter of hours the masks that are made from 100% linen and silk have proved extremely popular.
Moving forward, O’Neill believes the after-effect of Covid-19 will make for a more conscious driven Irish design and a new appreciation for the craftsmanship that has been missing in recent years
“Changes to the fashion calendar and sustainable processes were slowly happening in the industry. Covid accelerated this and made this shift happen in a matter of weeks,” says O’Neill. “I believe Irish designers will tap into our roots of craftsmanship and quality. Consumers appreciation for well designed, beautifully made pieces will certainly grow.”
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