We Are Here, my degree collection, is inspired by Cumann na mBan and their involvement
in the fight for independence. Another area that inspired my collection is the Ireland that
we have now where continued austerity, government cuts and new charges have brought
Irish people out onto the streets to protest and make their voice heard. The concept is not
melancholic or anger but more to do with how we deal with what we have now.
I have developed designs based on and including traditional craft techniques like letterpress
printing, screen printing and weaving. I wove 6 meters of wool on an AVL Dobby Arm loom.
I felted the weave before I cut out the pattern pieces for the coat. My visual inspiration
comes from Dublin city and the secrets it holds like the bullet holes in the Royal College of
Surgeons, names scratched into walls and old signage from businesses long closed down.
The fabrics that I used are mainly natural including cotton, linen, wool, canvas and
Tyvek. I printed my designs through screen printing and digital printing. The processes I
incorporated into the screen printing are reactive paste, pigment, metallic foil, puff, devore,
and 3M reflective beads.