The Manley Interview

I came across Emma Manley’s designs when a make-up artist friend of mine posted images on facebook of a shoot she had recently done. I was immediately struck by the beautiful, confident simplicity and construction of the garments, and assumed it had been done in London. Shame on me though, as Emma is Irish and working in Dublin. Being the busybody that I am, I got in touch with her to talk about Manley, her brand, and how she finds running a fashion label in Dublin.

Emma Manley A/W 12

JK: What’s the best thing about running your brand from Ireland?

EM: The constant support I get from family and friends who are always there urging me on. Working alone can be somewhat lonely and its pretty hard to be 100% enthused at all times, so having that support system really helps me to keep in top form and pushing Manley forward.

Emma Manley A/W 12

JK: And the biggest challenge?

EM: I suppose right now it’s the current economic climate. With the limited spending power out there it’s pretty evident that most start up’s wont survive. I suppose its a case of only the strongest will survive and I hope I can make the grade.

Emma Manley A/W 12

JK: What is your favourite part of the design process?

EM: Whats nice about the design process is that no process lasts for very long. Your researching, designing, then you’re sampling and finally you’re in production and all of a sudden the process needs to start all over again. It’s quite a controlled operation for something so creative! I’m never in one process long enough to grow board of it. Right now my favourite part is the embellishment work. I suppose it’s also the most gratifying part for me too. Studding work is a pretty tedious and time consuming task but I love how it transforms the garment and gives it attitude.

Emma Manley A/W 12

And we love the results! There is a confidence in the garments and their design that hints at great things for this young lady. Manley herself tells me that it’s an exciting time for the brand, and while she won’t be pinned down to specifics, I am more than happy to stay tuned to find out. Manley is currently available in Bow Boutique, Powerscourt Townhouse, a wonderful store run by another brave and incredibly talented Irish-based designer, Eilis Boyle.

Emma Manley A/W 12

And in case you were wondering, Emma is currently listening to Joanna Newsom, Goldfrapp’s Seventh Tree, Fight Like Apes and Villagers. Great taste all round then.

Emma Manley A/W 12

All images courtesy of Manley

like her on Facebook here

No. 27

It has been a busy week. I have been djing, working, blogging, designing and going to the opening of envelopes all over the city. And why I say this with my tongue firmly in my cheek, I did go to a summer party for a lovely little shop called No. 27 South William Street. A pop up collaboration between the great minds of Indigo & Cloth, A New Space and Industry, the month long store has set up home above where Indigo & Cloth permanently resides. I dropped in for a cheeky beer and a chat with the guys.

Since the store opened I have been a (very broke) fan of Indigo & Cloth. The store’s owner Gareth Pitcher has razor sharp eye for good design, building up tight collections for both men and women. The words Independent Boutique are bandied about a lot, but I suppose this is the Irish media’s way of separating this boutique from the other, less visionary, less design focused and less deadly boutiques out there. And as a sign of someone who is not only talented but lovely, Gareth is just as sound and enthusiastic about what he does to us broke feckers coming in and not buying anything time after time.

Furthermore, Anewspace, with its effervescent Jon, had a wonderful store in Chatham Street around Christmas, full of delicious art books, prints, tshirts and scarves that was a present (to myself) haven. As it was slightly in my price range, there were a few things I meant to buy but never got around to…note to self: stop spending ALL your Christmas money on shoes….

 

Anyway, joining forces with furniture design store Industry*, the three have created a great little space in the front room of 27 South William street. Last Friday they had a few summer drinks, and it was a real friends and family buzz, with New York style sitting on the stoop, having the chats.  The guys behind the venture were the perfect hosts, making sure everyone had enough sauce, and making time to chat to everyone. I nabbed them to talk about some of the pieces in the store, which led on to talking about the fashion and boutique landscape in general. Apologies to Jon & Gareth, but I do love a natter!!

 

It’s an interesting perspective being a big fish in a small pond, and that’s exactly what Indigo & Cloth is. This is no bad thing however, as it stands up with any boutique I’ve ever visited in New York, Paris or London. The only difference is that there are masses of boutiques and buyers in these big cities, meaning that the small pond offers more editorial styling and extra-curricular activities than those chasing the dream in the larger ones.

While Dublin is far from perfect (sometimes frustratingly so), there is really a buzz in the air at the moment that things are possible that weren’t even a couple of years ago. Things seem achievable, in the sense that talent and hard work might actually pay off. Noone wants anything for nothing, just the chance to be able to set up shop or studio and do their best to make it. Things aren’t easy, and we might not make millions, but if we have a product to be proud of, then as Pitcher said, if we can have the nice beans on our toast, then we’re doing well. I couldn’t agree more.

The standout pieces in the store for me were the Matt & Nat bags, which are at first great design, and then you find out they are made from recycled plastic bottles and that the whole design ethos is totally environmental and ethical. Sustainability should always look this good.

Then there were a few screen printed tshirts from the legendary Obey label, and a few other carefully selected lines, perfect for boy presents (or oversize tshirts for yourself). There is nothing more refreshing than seeing a tshirt design that is really well thought out, that you can guarantee will not be on every second lad for the next three months. Well, actually, there are loads of more refreshing things than that, I was being pretty hyperbolic there, but it is nice, and these shirts are really nice.

 

* I have to admit to never having been into Industry. But I checked them out on the interweb and they have had some great write ups and their own site is slick and well designed. I will go soon.

NCAD Grad Show #5

My final post in my series on the NCAD grad show. I can’t believe it has been down a week already, time is flying! On the upside though, some of my drawings and photographs are going to be exhibited in the Jam Art Factory, which is a gallery on Patrick Street. And speaking of having things in galleries, watch out for this lot, as I have no doubt they are all going on to great things.

Terri McInerney

Sarah Gordon, Fine Art Print

Sarah has a wonderful blog full of delightful illustrations and stories to make you chuckle, check it here

Joanne Byrne, Fine Art Print

Esther Breslin, Fine Art Print

Esther Breslin, Fine Art Print - close up

John Ryan, Painting

Jane Carter, Painting

Fine Art Print. Rolling in it.

Next thing I want to show you is a video, as a picture just doesn’t properly describe Cian Corcoran’s Industrial Design Product, the Sol. It’s an amazing sampler/looper for djs, musicians, etc. Just watch it.

<iframe src=”http://player.vimeo.com/video/24894367?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&#8243; width=”400″ height=”300″ frameborder=”0″></iframe><p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/24894367″>Sol Live Music Interface</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/designingmusic”>Cian Corcoran</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Cool, right? To read more about it, hop on over to his website, DesignGoat, where he and fellow super talented ID head Acky are already on their way to being hot shot industrial designers.

Finally, I am going to leave you with another link, to the VisComm website, designed by Shane Kenna as part of his final project. It’s slick AS, and features all of their work! Boom! Also, I love the class photos on the main page, such a cute idea!

Right, well that’s it! Hope you are all having a sunny Sunday!

NCAD Grad Show #4

TEXTILES TIME!!!

I should have done this first, really, what with me being in textiles and stuff. But I’m doing it now. So enjoy. Here are my favs (in no particular order) from Textiles this year, across embroidery, weave and print.

Ingrid Bowen

Julie Flynn

Trudy Feighery

Carol O'Brien

Blaithin Ennis

Meabh DeBurca

Triona O'Neill

Clodagh Kelly

Aisling Duffy

Carrie Kinnehan

Rachel Platt

Julie Nolan

Fiona McDonald

Ciara Harrison

 

Zara McGonigle

Honor Scanlon

ME! aka Jane Alexandra

I’m so proud of all the ladies from Textile Design, the show was amazing. I have been very lucky to be part of a really amazing class, and I wish everyone the best of luck in the future, but with work like theirs, luck will have very little to do with their success! xxx

That’s that new Sh*t

Yesterday I was too busy to blog. And the day before. Soz. Sooooooooo….right. Wednesday’s challenge was “your latest purchase”. Yesterday’s is “you and someone wearing matching clothes”. I am not going to trawl through facebook to find a pic of a clothes twin, and I am defo not gonna take a new one. Instead, it’s gonna be a bumper “newest purchase” and “newest made” post instead. (Today’s challenge is “an article of clothing you made or altered” – perfect timing!!)

I mentioned a while back that I was going to try dip dye stuff, so I did a lil tank and a shirt – the shirt, being polycotton, didn’t work as well as the tank but I am pleased with the results. I had a bit of a dye disaster earlier in the week, but seeing as I’m an old pro at dealing with dye-lab disasters, I totally sorted it, and the results are no longer blotchy stains! While I was fixing my dye-saster (groan), I rooted through my box of leftover/I-promise-I’l-do-something-with-these-someday fabrics, and tie dyed some jersey. Then I watched some more Breaking Bad…..uhoh….i’m in danger of describing what I had for dinner here…

SYNOPSIS: I made three tops from scratch on Wednesday, customised two, spray painted a pair of shoes and made an apple crumble. You don’t care about the apple crumble, but it sounds impressive.

Dip dye tank. I bought tank ages ago

I make the tie dye. I make the tshirt!

Stripey tank fun. I make this too

It has shirt tail back detail. I have funny face

 

I also went SHOPPING last week. IN A SHOP!!!! I couldn’t even believe it myself, the whole experience was so foreign and surreal, it has been that long. However, the lovely folks at Forever 21 had sent me a giftcard to get something nice, and I did just that. The shop still terrifies me a lil bit, it’s so big – I didn’t do myself any favours by visiting on a Saturday afternoon mind – I am not sure the floor plan shows the stock clearly. I also got the impression that some of the stuff I was admiring on the website wasn’t in store, but I have a feeling that they have targeted a certain Dublin market, so I guess man repeller pants are probably not gonna sell so well.

Nevertheless, I sifted through and soon had my hands full of things I wanted to try on. I settled on a lace-backed tribal-print-front tshirt, and a stripey shirt. I was also taken with another navy long sleeved number, and a red, scalloped edged skirt (that didn’t have my size, sob….note to self – never try on a really teeny size small for the gas. Gas will not be had).

Forever 21 shirt, I couldn’t decide to have it out or in, kinda like it halfsies. Urban Outfitters vintage skirt. Silly face, stylists own.

NCAD Grad Show #3

Following on from yesterday’s post, next up on my highlights from the show is Fashion design and the MFA (Masters in Fine Art). Fashion’s offering was assured, varied and cut to perfection. No doubt these guys are headed to great things. The MFA had some really remarkable work, with some seriously accomplished painting and some great installation work. Shane O’Connor’s photography and Louise Peat’s paintings grabbed me the most, with their colour and composition just right.

You can catch full details of all the Fashion Graduates over on their website, here.

Shane O’Connor, MFA

Louise Peat, MFA

NCAD Grad Show #2

I made it around the whole exhibition with half an hour to spare in the end (pretty dismal timing considering it had been up for 10 days…), and I would like to share with you some of my personal highlights. It was amazing to see everyone’s work, as although I have known many of my classmates for three years, I had no idea what a lot of their work was like. So, it was kind of like, seeing the inside of their head for the first time. I am design4life, but there is a strong and proud tradition of fine art in NCAD, and this year’s graduates did not disappoint. The work was outstanding, especially in Print. And seeing the amount of red stickers underneath the works, I was not alone in my opinion!

It was really sad taking the exhibition down today, as it marked the end of my time at NCAD. While I am excited about moving on to the next stage, I will miss the banter of our lil Thomas Street bubble. So on that note, here are my standout pieces from the 2011 Degree Show, in order of how I went around the show (i.e. the order they are on my camera)

Sarah McNamara

I don’t actually know Sarah, but her work was beautiful. I don’t think I’ve seen a ceramic chandelier before, and these are such a wonderful balance of modern, traditional, clean and textured. Ticking all the boxes, if you will!

Ciara Cuddihy

I love Ciara’s work, and the way it combines glass with textiles – she studied Fibre Art in Ballyfermot before entering NCAD, and this experience of textile fine art comes through in her pieces.

Anna West

Conor O’Toole

Conor’s work is amazing! And they are made of glass! I feel like he has a very bright future in fashion ahead of him if he so chooses though. And despite them looking so modern, they are based on the bog, and the way the lumps of turf curl and other bog related stuff that I am not familiar with, but basically, they are a modern take on Irish tradition, which makes them even better. I really really appreciate people who rework the notion of Irishness into a 21st century language.

Ella Reilly

Charlene McFarland

Miriam Wade

Daniela Cardelo

AAAAh, this post is ridiculously long already, so I am going to leave it at that for now. These have been the highlight of the Ceramic Glass and Metals show. I’ll be back soon with the rest! x