The infamous 16th-century Irish pirate queen, Gráinne Mhaol, was the inspiration for Jennifer Kinnear’s Grace O’Malley Collection. The line includes a compass, shipwheel and star pendant necklace, an octopus tentacle necklace and earrings, and a medallion depicting the famous fireside encounter between O’Malley and Queen Elizabeth 1st. Prices range from €75 to €350.
Kinnear, who is a kite surfer and keen beachcomber, grew up in Dublin beside the sea but now lives with her young son in the mountains overlooking the Straits of Gibraltar. Other pieces in her collection are similarly inspired by beach finds, such as tiny crab-claw earrings, shells and sea urchins which are made using traditional metalsmithing techniques in Dublin.
Kinnear's pieces can be found at Arnotts; Emme, 36 Dunville Avenue Ranelagh, Dublin 6; My Shop...Granny Likes It, 29/31 Upper Abbeygate Street, Galway; O'Reilly Turpin, Bridge Street, Westport, Co Mayo; Cait & I, 35 Market Street, Abbeyquarter North, Sligo; Lisbeth Mulcahy, Green Street, Dingle, Co Kerry; George & Milly, Castledermot Road, Mullarney, Castledermot, Co Kildare;jenniferkinnear.com
Nordic dreams
Cathrine Hammel may not be a familiar name in fashion here, but in Norway she is known for her down-to-earth spin on ethereal ultra-feminine fabrics and is often compared to Simone Rocha.
Hammel’s latest collection uses a lot of tulle – very much in vogue at the moment, and seen at London Fashion Week for autumn/winter – in light, frothy, beautifully crafted pieces that have their own allure. Her aesthetics have roots in the Bauhaus and Arts & Crafts movements and are based on fluidity, simplicity and craftsmanship. In business for 21 years this year, she has said that “we make clothes you can have for 20 or 40 years.”
Full marks to buyers in Macbees at 26 New Street in Killarney, which is where you can find pieces – like this black tulle dress from her collection – in Ireland.
Women in art
Zara’s latest collections includes one called Women in Art, which features the work of three artists – Thani Mara, Ana Mushell and Bijou Karman – on sweatshirts, t-shirts, hoodies, hats, bags and hairbands. Mara uses landscapes and summery shots at beaches or pools; Mushell works with bold black-and-white comics; and Bijou Karman shows women against a background of vegetation and bold colour.
All make strong and forceful statements that are also playful. Prices start at €12.95 for hairbands, bags and hats, €15.95 for t-shirts, €29.95 for sweatshirts and €49.95 for hoodies; zara.com
New Irish talent
Katie Ann McGuigan who made her debut at London Fashion Week has an ability to translate the codes of conventionally masculine sports in a feminine way. Her collection took its focus from biker subculture in Japan which in the 1980s and 1990s was associated with slogan jumpsuits, Japanese hachimaki headbands, surgical masks and customised motorcycles, and drove the idea of a powerful underground girl gang.
The collection was heavy on print and texture, in an array of colours from lilac and mint, to navy and jade, and fused heavy and light textiles. Leather skirts, for instance, were mixed with chunky knits alongside tulle dresses, longline puffer gilets and boiler suits.
Since moving to London from Ireland and completing a BA in Fashion Design at the University of Westminster, McGuigan has since been awarded the Fashion Scout Merit Award for her first collection, and the Mittelmoda Absolute Prize in 2017, so she is one to watch. katieannmcguigan.com
