We all have good intentions when it comes to supporting Irish, but it can prove difficult when shopping for clothes if you don’t know where to look. It’s not as if you can walk into your favourite department store and be sure of finding the best in homegrown design there. So I wanted to give a shout out to some of my favourite Irish designers; creatives who make the kind of clothes and accessories I want to wear, who produce considered pieces that can stand up alongside international design. This is just a small edit, but hopefully, it will whet your appetite for the wealth of superb Irish design available now.

Sisters By CK

Launched last year by designer Caroline Kilkenny and her sister Nicola as a more affordable sidebar to the Caroline Kilkenny label, Sisters By CK has a freshness to it that caught my attention immediately. Although it’s described by the duo as party wear, there’s plenty of pieces that can be easily incorporated into your day-to-day outfits and which will bring a nice point of difference to your look. It’s heavy on chic design details, such as tulle-trimmed pockets and inserts, as well as contrasting textures, such as vegan leather and lace, and all at accessible, though not throwaway, prices. The divine satin Charlotte dress, pictured – my favourite piece from the AW collection – costs €200. Worn as is, layered beneath a cashmere sweater or over a thin-knit polo, it’s sophisticated, versatile, unique and well worth the outlay. The gorgeous cobalt blue colour is also an absolute winner regardless of your skin tone, suiting cool complexions like mine right through to chocolate, as seen on the model. It also comes in black if you’re searching for the perfect little black dress.

Cleo Prickett

I’ve been intrigued by this brand ever since I first met the designer at an event in the Cliff Townhouse in Dublin a few years ago. Great tailoring has a place in every woman’s wardrobe, and exquisitely cut separates are the hallmark of Cleo’s namesake brand. The designer cut her design teeth at Roland Mouret and Mary Katranzou, and for me, she strikes that perfect balance between traditional and modern, using heritage fabrics sensitively, designing sophisticated and modern silhouettes, but always injecting an element of the unexpected. Last year, Cleo used her mother Sue as a model for her AW collection, cleverly demonstrating how ageless her pieces are. Cleo Prickett is a label for any woman of any age who wants to raise her tailoring game. The pieces will bring a punctuation and a distinction to your look but never appear too “out there” or avante garde.

Jokamin

Polish-born, Cork-based Joanna Kaminska is an artist and designer who creates beautiful images, which she applies to notebooks, tote bags and silk scarves, creating the most colourful, unique and intriguing accessories. Her style is rooted in the graphic art and animation tradition of Poland and presents itself as naive but compelling and colourful drawings. To create her stunning scarves, each design is hand-painted with gouache paint and digitally applied onto pure crepe de chine silk. This is wearable art, with Jokamin scarves offering an opportunity to add a chic signature to your own personal style. Prices start at €110.

Pearl Reddington

I am a knitwear obsessive. Autumn is my favourite season and textured knits are what I love to wear most. As soon as I noticed the yellow neon stripe on the cuff of a grey aran jumper by Pearl Reddington, I was intrigued by this young designer, who comes from a family of artists, makers and entrepreneurs. Interested in the fine art side of fashion, Dublin-based Reddington makes limited edition and one-off bespoke pieces that break down the stereotypes of Irish knitwear as something twee and old-fashioned. She has a distinctive eye for colour and her ability to create fresh combinations makes for a collection of contemporary sweaters, scarves and hats that feel fresh and modern. She also designs a range for children.

Roisin Linnane

The epitome of understated elegance, Roisin Linnane is a label synonymous with quality. Precision tailoring and exquisite draping make Linnane’s pieces a dream to wear as they skim the body effortlessly, creating a fluid and flattering silhouette. There’s a restraint to her designs that appeals to my unfussy aesthetic, and her brand is the epitome of the “less is more” approach. Despite their pared-back nature, there’s nothing wanting from any of her pieces, and I think that signifies really clever design thinking. The Lola L dress, pictured, in an exquisite shade of champagne is a forever piece. It costs €475, which is a lot of money to spend on one item, but if you can afford to, I think this is a piece most women would be proud to have in their wardrobes and would never tire of wearing.

Orla Langan

This young designer offers something unique to the local market, with a collection of sportswear-inspired pieces that will appeal to any woman with a love of directional clothing. Asymmetric hemlines, colour-block details, sheer panels and cut-out detailing are her signatures, and to me her designs sum up how modern athleisure should look; sophisticated but with a sporty, urban twist. Orla Langan’s clothes are another perfect example of ageless style, as the cuts and silhouettes are always sophisticated, but the detailing fresh and contemporary. I love this organic quilted denim jacket, pictured (reduced from €275 to €150). It’s utility chic at its best.

Four Threads

Inspired, handmade, quality and conscious are the “four threads” to which NCAD graduate Alanagh Clegg’s brand owes its name. Seasonless and timeless, the collections are never trend-led, but anchored by steadfast pieces that can be lived in and loved for a lifetime. In other words, quality basics upon which to build your wardrobe, from the quintessential white shirt to the perfect black coat. Clegg sources all her linen from County Wexford, and makes each linen piece herself. Her cotton shirts, with hand-stitched buttonholes (the attention to detail is exquisite), are made by Indian craftspeople who she was introduced to by a sustainability consultant in London. Four Threads is a brand based firmly on authenticity. It’s for women who favour subtle and thoughtful design.

Kaiko Studio

One of my absolute favourite jewellery brands, Kaiko Studio creates pieces that will appeal to modernists, like me, and those with a more naturalistic aesthetic. I own several of the brand’s concrete and brass pieces; I love this mix of contemporary textures and the graphic shapes used to create pendants and earrings. For those looking for something softer, perhaps more feminine, Kaiko also designs botanical jewellery made with wildflowers and other plants sourced in County Wicklow, where the design duo Linda and Maciej are based. Kaiko Studio also offers lighting options and home accessories, such as concrete candle holders and planters. Everything is extremely well priced, with earrings starting at just €16. This is one of those rare labels where everything looks unique and expensive but is, in fact, affordable to everyone.

Ana Faye

I only recently came across this range of leather handbags founded in 2018 by designer Ana Vahey, who hails from the north west of Ireland. From cross-bodies and hobo bags to totes and backpacks, the collection is well considered, offering a style that will meet every woman’s needs. The aesthetic is one of understated luxury. Vahey uses soft shades of teal through to dove grey to add individuality to her designs, colours which marry beautifully with the tactile, slouchy styles of much of the collection. The designer has a fun side too, with cute but practical evening bags called Bunny Bitch and Funky Fish included in the range. Prices range from about €70 to €350. Anafaye.com

Alison Conneely

Conneely’s collections are the epitome of modern glamour. Simple shapes, delicate design details and exquisite fabrics define the brand and offer a beautifully elegant offering. Although contemporary in its aesthetic, the label is inspired by Conneely’s childhood home on the Ardbear Peninsula; in fact many of her fabrics are hand-dyed there, while a selection of her headwear is woven from organic wool on the designer’s family farm. There’s a wonderful relationship between traditional and modern, an encouraging connection between Conneely’s locality and her beautiful designs that make for some very special pieces indeed. Conneely’s clothes are those that should be saved up for over time, then worn and loved forever. Alisonconneely.com

Marie Kelly, August 2020.

Have you been shopping lately? Tell us what you think in the comments box below…