Una Healy was in Dublin this week to unveil a capsule fashion collection with Littlewoods Ireland. We caught up with the singer-songwriter to discuss sustainable fashion, her style inspirations, and what she'll be wearing this party season. Watch the interview above.
Since leaving chart-topping girl band The Saturdays, Una Healy has continued to work on her solo career but she has also ventured into the world of fashion. As well as launching her own shoe collection, the Tipperary woman has created #TheUnaEdit with Ireland's largest online department store, Littlewoods.
The edit is comprised of eight Autumn/Winter looks that feature a lot of on-trend prints, fabulous textures and long-lasting gems from high-street brands including V by Very, Oasis, River Island and Warehouse.
We spoke to the 38-year-old about how she brings sustainability into her wardrobe, the women who influence her and the key pieces of clothing she wants to hand down to her daughter, Aoife Belle.
Talk us through the collection
"I'm actually wearing some of the collection here right now [pictured above]. It's kind of day to night. As a working mum, I like to be quite comfortable and casual during the day - but still fashionable. And then at night time, I love to dress up. I like a bit of sparkle so there are loads of really nice textures in there as well. We've got the velvets, the heavier textures for winter, some woolly jumpers, nice coats, and sparkly dresses."
How would you describe your style?
"I like to be quite girly, especially for a night out. During the day I wear a lot of activewear. I get up and I'm on the school run, so I actually put my activewear on straight away, drop the kids off, go the gym and then change.
"I love a good pair of jeans and a nice woolly jumper for the day and at night I love a little bit of sparkle so I'll put a sparkly number on with heels. I also really love trends like the boho kind of look as well as the rocky, leather jacket, vest top and jeans kind of look - that would be my real go-to look, and you can dress that up or down."
Where do you get your style inspiration?
"I look at people on the street, actually. I just really admire other people when I'm on the tube or the train or just walking down the street. It really catches my eye, what the real woman is wearing as opposed to Instagram... sometimes it's just too perfect. People really use their imagination when they self-style and I really admire that.
"I'm not going to lie though, of course, I follow all the bloggers on Instagram to see what they're into and what's new, what's trendy. Designers, as well. With Fashion Week, I like to see what's on-trend, what's coming up for Spring/Summer next year - it's good to keep an eye on that and see how that's going to turn out. Often you see things and you think, 'I'll never wear that' and then you're wearing it then because if it's in fashion, you want to wear it.
"I always give everything a go to see if it suits me. It's important to wear what you feel comfortable in. Look in the mirror, and say 'do you know what, do I look good or not?' - you'll know the answer yourself."
Do you take sustainability into account when shopping?
"Definitely, yeah, I know that Oxfam really supports that as well. I actually walked in Fashion Week last year for that, they're really supporting sustainable fashion. I think it's important to make sure that when you buy something, it's going to be a key item to have next Autumn/Winter as well - something that's going to go in your wardrobe and stay there for the next couple of years. Littlewoods have amazing quality, it's high street and affordable but it's really good quality and it's something that can be in there for a long time if you look after it.
"I even talk to my own little girl, if she really likes something of mine, she'll say, 'I love that' and I'm really keeping it in mind to keep things that she really likes. Things that she sees me wearing now that, when she gets older, she can be like, 'oh yeah, my mum used to wear that' so I'm holding back some things for her as well."
What will you be wearing this party season?
"Lots of colour and sparkle. I think the velvet textures are really in at the minute and they look really good, they look gorgeous in pictures - they kind of shine when you have the flash on - it looks really cool. I'll be wearing lots of velvets, lots of colours, lots of texture and lots of sparkles.
What are 5 key pieces that would be in your capsule wardrobe?
"I'd have to have a woolly jumper in there, something that's going to take you through the winter and you can dress up and down with a pair of jeans. Yeah, I'd have go for the jeans. A nice coat, a nice classy winter coat - that's three. My biker jacket... and then I guess I'd go for my sparkly dress with the long sleeves for a party."
