Knitwear, headgear and shoes made of apple-juice waste: six sustainable Irish fashion brands
Some of Ireland's sustainable designers' new pieces
Sustainability has dominated the fashion conversation in recent years from fairly-paid factory and garment workers, ethical supply chains, and a Made in Ireland design philosophy.
In 2022, consumers are demanding more from the brands that serve them. Not only creatively but in terms of their environmental impact. Luckily, a number of Irish businesses across womenswear, menswear, footwear, and accessories, are leading the way by championing eco-conscious principles and ethical consumption.
We compiled a list of the top 6 brands to keep on your radar this year.
“I love fashion but there's something seriously wrong with telling people that they need stuff to feel better, and just pushing crap, and novelty. What sustainability really means is that there are no seasons, you're just creating timeless and enduring beautiful things that people want to buy,” said Duke.
With a contemporary approach that shifts the knitwear paradigm - too often stuffy or overwrought - Duke takes supple Italian yarn from Loro Piana and gently manipulates it to create her signature raised patterns, before sculpting it into understated shapes. It’s easy to think of knitwear in terms of sweaters and cardigans (you’d be right - there are some darling options like a generously-cut cocoon cardigan and slouchy pullovers) but Duke’s timeless offering includes oversized tanks, a long-sleeved dress, form-fitting skirts, cashmere leggings, and soft chunky socks.
In an earthy palette of brown and graphite grey, counterpointed by lavender, blues and forest green, she intends to provide “a layer of nurturing comfort, a warm and loving embrace, a balm from the outside world at a time when we need it.”
Almost half of the production takes place in Ireland, and the rest at small factories in Portugal and Nepal, with finishes taking place in Duke’s Dublin studio, which means product runs are concise and limited. When they’re gone they’re gone.
- Available at rosduke.com, Design Ireland (Dublin Airport). Prices start at €100.
In a world of imitations, one can witness a sterling example of originality and authenticity at Anna Guerin’s The Landskein. The brand’s 15-piece line of coats and blazers draw on clean, modern lines and are spun and woven using the finest Irish textiles.
“I think I’m bringing a modern narrative with the brand. It’s something I wanted myself: a contemporary coat in tweed,” she said.
With yarns spun from Irish fleece at Ireland’s only carbon-neutral mill Kerry Woollen Mills to fabrics from sixth-generation weavers at Donegal’s Molloy & Sons, Guerin produces the line in Italy at a family-run factory used by Burberry and Acne Studios.
The latest collection revels in the quiet simplicity of beautiful classics like the ‘Avery’ lambswool blazer in a charming grey-blue check (woven in Donegal) to the ‘Aerin’ grey longline oversized belted trench coat in Irish twill (spun and woven in Kerry), and the ‘Blake’ silk cashmere-blend trench coat in oatmeal herringbone (woven in Donegal). Each detail, from design to production, is carefully considered.
Guerin admits that becoming a brand with a minimal impact on the environment is very expensive but rewarding. “I truly believe that if you describe your brand as sustainable, you are making a promise to your clients that you as a brand have considered sustainability in every decision you take, from design, procurement, production, and logistics.”
The Landskein covers all bases.
- Available at Havana (Co. Dublin), Emporium Kalu (Co. Kildare), JuJu (Co. Wicklow). Prices start at €645.
Not only did Dundalk brand ilk transform the underdeveloped menswear scene in Ireland, it largely defines it as one of the few modern brands with a proposition for the sartorially inclined men who value high-quality wardrobe staples at an accessible price.
From the classic logo-embroidered classic t-shirt in organic cotton to the signature ‘Jocelyn’ jacket (inspired by men’s workwear) in a soft cotton drill with contrasting buttons made from renewable vegetable material, style and ethics go hand in hand at the brand.
“We wanted to make sure that whatever we were putting out had a reason behind it because the world doesn't need another clothing brand. We're definitely not Patagonia but we know that our clothes are built to last from the tailoring and how it's been produced,” said Killian Walsh, the creative director and general manager.
The brand works with a factory in Portugal that runs on renewable energy and a family-owned factory in Japan.
In 2022, everything will be made from recycled fabrics or deadstock and the brand will continue collecting plastic waste which will be converted into accessories the following year, in addition to releasing a number of collaborations with other Irish businesses.
- Available from ilk.ie. Prices start at €25.
Called after the Irish word for ‘example,’ Sampla raised over €40,000 on fundraising site Kickstarter to bring its vision of bringing elegance without consequence to the footwear market.
The Waterford-based founder Finbarr Power, a self-described footwear obsessive, launched the brand when he couldn’t find an ethical alternative to his favourite trainers.
The unisex design, based on the classic tennis shoe from the eighties, partly consists of apple leather (made from repurposed apple waste from the Italian juice industry; a 100% vegan material alternative called appleskin™) and recycled or organic materials (organic cotton laces; responsibly-sourced, hand-carved super crepe and PU leftovers from the European automotive industry for the insoles). Whether styled with a floral dress or activewear and jeans, the shoe is adaptable and desirable without a heavy environmental cost.
“We could’ve rushed to market but we wanted to have a durable product we could stand behind. Sustainable footwear should be footwear that isn't mass-produced that is made for the customer with the most efficient materials available on-demand,” Power said.
The shoes, made in a small family-owned, traditional artisan shoe workshop based in the suburbs of Braga, Portugal, take an all-encompassing approach to sustainability from a logistical partner who sources the most optimal route for each delivery to reduce carbon emissions, the plastic-free packaging, and the reforestation project which sees one tree planted for every pair produced.
“We’ve been blown away by the response.”
- Available at samplafootwear.com. Prices start at €139.
From the workshop in her Wexford home, Helena Malone makes timeless and beautiful without compromising the environment. Initially a passion project driven by her creativity, as she progressed, she realised the moral implications of designing.
From the world’s dwindling resources to the task of finding recyclable or zero-waste packaging, and considering the merits and spoils of lab-grown diamonds, Malone has become as much an environmentalist as she is a goldsmith.
“It is definitely beyond selling products,” she said. “I've realized that the important part of my business is engaging my customers and speaking to them and really working out what they want.”
When Malone consults with customers she offers to melt, reuse and recycle, or repair existing items before purchasing new materials and when she sources materials she proposes secondhand. (Malone uses recycled gold; the Madagascan sapphires in her newest collection are sourced from a Danish company that is proud of its close relationship with the local miners.)
The newest collection ‘All the Colours I Love to Dream In’ draws on precious stones like diamond, sapphire, emerald, citrine, ruby, and amethyst, setting them in recycled 18ct gold rings or fine chains.
- Available at helenamalone.ie, Stonechat Jewellers (Co. Dublin), Kilkenny Design (Co. Dublin). Prices start at €80.
Leonora Ferguson is pushing the boundaries of millinery even at a time when events are cancelled or postponed.
Commonly adorning wax figures at Madame Tussauds or on the likes of Cara Delevingne, one is besotted by daring construction and inventive and exploratory approach to materials and zero-waste attitudes.
From ready-to-order and bespoke designs, her wire lace headpieces are replacing nylon with biodegradable materials like hemp, leather with pineapple-based alternative Piñatex®, and a collaboration with woodturner and sculptor Imelda Connolly, saw Ferguson transform wood from a fallen beech tree into a curved fascinator.
She said, “in the past, I would mainly think about where the materials have come from, but now I look at the materials and how they might break down afterwards, or how they could be taken apart to be recycled.”
- Available at leonoraferguson.com. Prices start at €75 and €150 for bespoke pieces.
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