The historic site of Slane Castle hosted the Irish Roots Show at Ireland Fashion Week on 9 October and it was the perfect backdrop for a night dedicated to Irish textile heritage.
Blending the Irish fashion present with its past, nine designers showcased four looks each and they ranged from first major collections to centuries-old established brands.
Avoca paid homage to the sheep of Ireland with an impressive headpiece while championing wool by Donegal Yarns, Galway Wool and a cardigan by Miss She Got Knits, alongside a pink houndstooth pairing complete with accessories by Hanna Hats of Donegal. While Magee 1866 sported a number of coats and a Donegal Tweed men's suit paired with a nod to the county’s GAA heritage.
What emerged on the runway, within its 18th-century surroundings, was a conversation not just between the past and present but between the designers themselves – such as the innovations and boldness of colour that Avoca pioneered in the early 20th century courtesy of the Wynne sisters, echoing in the vibrancy of pieces by Helen Steele.
Meanwhile, the impeccable tailoring of Louis Copeland was showcased alongside stunning works by Amy Frankie Moroney, who played with silhouette.
A reverence for Ireland’s wool remained central to the show with Triona Design and Ireland’s Eye Knitwear, who ensured that tradition is granted a legacy through contemporary design.
The show also highlighted not just the quality of Irish-made clothing and their role in the future of Irish fashion, but their time-honoured durability, showcased by Jack Murphy Clothing.
Though dress and textile history is part of our shared heritage, individual stories were also told. I caught up with Limerick-based designer Mary O’Sullivan before the evening began to ask her about her approach to the theme of Irish roots.
She told me she drew heavily on her personal history when dreaming up the designs in the show.
"I think I have always been interested in history anyway, before going to art college in Limerick, I wanted to study history and become a historian – but I couldn’t remember dates, so that was never on the cards for me!" she said.
"But for this new collection, I wanted to delve into my own roots, as the show’s theme is Irish roots and my granny passed back in March – my Clare granny – so for my finale look, I delved into my Clare roots and going from a Limerick toile-de-jouy to a Clare toile de jouy. So, I went into my own personal history rather than general history."
Mary O’ Sullivan may not have become a historian, but her work took a very identifiable piece of dress history - toile de jouy - and reimagined it. In earlier collections she has taken the 18th-century technique, which features bucolic scenes printed on linen or cotton in shades of blue or deep red - and given it an Irish twist.
Spurred by a ban on cotton that was lifted in France in 1759 (which had been in place in the 17th century and was also seen in Britain in the early 18th century, to protect their silk and wool industries, known as the Calico Act 1721), the demand for this fabric rose.
It is typically associated with Christophe-Phillipe Oberkampf and his distinctive Rococo-style printed fabric. However, the technique originated in Ireland. As noted by the Linen Biennale Northern Ireland, Francis Nixon and Theophlius Thompson were pioneering printers who, at the Drumcondra Printworks near Dublin in 1752, were the first to use copper plates successfully to create patterns on linen.
Despite the Calico Act of 1721 not yet repealed, Nixon moved to England, joining a calico-printing factory in Surrey and continued printing fabric until 1789. From London, it is unsurprising that the technique spread to France, likely due to Oberkampf, with 'toile’ meaning ‘cloth’ from Jouy - a town near Versailles.
It developed into becoming synonymous with single-coloured historic pastoral scenes printed on white fabric – typically cotton. Highly fashionable for aristocratic interiors, it was championed by Marie Antoinette and Empress Josephine.
But there is another Irish connection as it was also favoured by Ireland’s Sybil Connolly who adorned the walls of the Swiss Cottage in Cahir with her own design. A bale of patterned fabric designed by Connolly for Brunschwig & Fils, New York in the toile de Jouy style (blue on a cream background) is part of the collection of The Hunt Museum in Limerick.
Mary O’Sullivan is based there and has printed her own version, her ‘Limerick toile de jouy,’ depicting the landmarks of her home county. In honour of her own lineage and a nod to her granny, she developed the version dedicated to Co Clare weaving her own ancestry into a show dedicated to enduring aspects of Irish dress – yet always open to interpretation.
Irish roots were portrayed in their many forms yesterday evening. Through dress we witnessed all nine of the designers’ said interpretation of the past, and the role it will play in Ireland’s fashion future.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ.
