Check out the striking Irish fashion designers that are finalists in the Irish Made Awards 2022
The fashion industry in Ireland is vibrant and constantly evolving, especially if this year’s finalists are anything to go by. With iconic heritage brands and recent graduates making their mark, there are lots of cool brands you should get to know before voting for your favourite Irish fashion designrs here.
amalka.design
Amalka.design founder Kristina Belejova makes her pieces by hand at her home in Kilkenny, using sustainable linen from Europe. This young business has released a successful summer collection. amalkadesign.com
Bernie Murphy Irish Designer
Bernie Murphy creates beautiful knitwear pieces with a contemporary twist in her studio in Buncrana in Co Donegal. Her new Identity collection is inspired by our heritage, who we are and where we came from, and she is constantly developing new designs. berniemurphy.com
Caoimhe Murphy Design
Caoimhe Murphy Design is a young Irish brand that has stormed onto the market in 2021, and is now available at Brown Thomas and on international shopping platform NotJustALabel. The current collection is made up of feminine pieces with sculptural shapes and luxurious fabrics. caoimhemurphy.ie
Ciara Allen Designs
Ciara Allen makes all her pieces in her studio in Dublin. Her designs mix streetwear and genderless design to create standout, unisex pieces, following a slow fashion ethos. ciaraallendesigns.com
CLARE OCONNOR
Designer Clare O’Connor creates unique abstract paintings, which have inspired her fashion range. The fabric is printed in Como, Italy before the tops and dresses are made in Dublin. Each piece is made using only natural, sustainable, eco friendly, biodegradable fabrics and dyes. clareoconnor.net
Cobbler’s Lane
Monica Walsh designs and makes collections that are inspired by the 60s and 70s in her studio in Wexford. A slow fashion brand through and through, Cobbler’s Lane believes that the pieces we buy today should be the vintage of tomorrow. cobblerslane.com
Colin Horgan
Colin Horgan has a progressive design aesthetic, championing luxury womenswear and inclusivity. Each piece is designed, prototyped and manufactured in Kerry in house. @colinhorgan
Gabrielle Malone
Gabrielle’s feminine knitwear designs are made using traditional techniques with contemporary materials. She finds inspiration in Irish heritage and crafts that have been passed down from her family, who learnt these techniques as it was instrumental in their daily life as fishermen. gabriellemalonedesign.com
Heidi Higgins
Designer Heidi Higgins once made her collections in Italy and Poland, but moved her design studio to Tipperary in 2019, where her pieces are made to order by her seamstress. Her design ethos is ‘elegance with a twist’, working with luxurious fabrics like Italian silk and minimising waste wherever possible. heidihiggins.com
IrelandsEye Knitwear
Established in 1988, IrelandsEye Knitwear is a family-run business that has been making knitwear for over 30 years. Inspired by the Irish landscape and the colours of nature, they combine a traditional Irish knitwear heritage with modern styling to create cosy, pretty pieces. irelandseyeknitwear.com
Loom Irish Linen
Loom Irish Linen create luxury sleepwear in soft Irish linen. The pyjamas are designed in Co Tipperary, made in Co Dublin , using linen that is milled in Co Antrim. the brand is built on the importance of sleep to wellbeing, while being conscious of the environment. loomirishlinen.com
McConnell
Anne Founded McConnell in 1999 with her first collection (then branded Áine being sold in the then Dalkey Design Store). Now in its 23rd year McConnell produces knitwear garments that are sold around the world. She has recently created a genderless range in Irish yarn that is 60% Virgin Irish Wool and 40% New Zealand wool. mcconnellwoollenmills.ie
Mise Tusa
Mise Tusa is a mother-daughter team, primarily working with wools and silks woven in Ireland, luxury industry surplus fabric and okeo-tex certified bamboo fabric. They consciously create high quality, stylish and versatile pieces that are designed to stand the test of time. misetusa.ie
Sharon Sweeney
Sharon Sweeney’s SS22 Swanzyland collection is made-to-order basis in Ireland using sustainable, natural fibre, dead-stock and recycled fabrics. The overall aesthetic of the collection is whimsical, taking inspiration from Irish landscape and genre artist Mary Swanzy. sharonsweeney.ie
The Zero Waster
Using reclaimed materials, Sarah O’Neill creates asymmetric tops, swimwear, and more, with natural dyes. The Zero Waster makes use of all sorts of materials, from discarded sails to car seat belts, as well as GOTS certified organic bamboo jersey cotton, recycled cotton jersey and repurposed fabrics. thezerowaster.ie
