I am a fashion and textiles designer from the west coast of Ireland. Through my textile heritage, I have a deep-seated love for fashion and a strong understanding surrounding the processes involved in constructing clothes. Consequently, I feel strongly about sustainable textile practices and respecting the lives and craft of those that make our clothes. My collection ‘In Spirals’ is a response to the disconnect between the Irish consumer base, and garment workers in the Global South. The dissonance is maintained by the fast fashion industry, who use marketing techniques such as influencer marketing to encourage Irish people to continue to shop fast fashion. Young people use fast fashion products to relate themselves to influencers, to find a sense of belonging, or to express themselves and prioritize these factors over their moral objections to the humanitarian consequence of cheap, fast fashion clothing. The motifs featured within 'In Spirals’ explore this concept of disconnection. They reflect the complexities of the modern world and the human struggle to find place and harmony in the turmoil. Saturated rainbow shades represent the diversity of human experience, while circumstantial complexities depicted in black, unbalances harmony causing it to shatter and explode. Obsessive sequencing of the controlled spiral motif and fragmented discs of colour adorn the collection to reflect the repetitive patterns of behaviour through which we seek to connect despite the world we live in. Elaborate zero-waste designs are featured throughout the collection, which were produced on a domestic flatbed knit machine and embellisher. Additionally, surface detailing was added to garments with a domestic embroidery machine. These fabrics were then hand stitched with Swarovski crystals and vibrant felt appliqué. These textile techniques embraced slow fashion production practices and resulted in a collection with couture levels of sophistication. This collection aims to inspire young Irish women to connect with the reality of garment creation and to inspire them to shop sustainably, by proving that sustainability can be stylish.
