Student showcase

New Irish design gets a platform in Brown Thomas, writes DEIRDRE MCQUILLAN

THESE REMARKABLE DRESSES made with net and brass radiator tape, using vacuum forming techniques, are the work of Limerick School of Art Design fashion graduate Rebecca Marsden, from her graduate collection this year. This showpiece, and some accessories and knitted dresses specially made by her, will be part of Create, a space set aside in Brown Thomas, Dublin to highlight the work of 10 new and established Irish designers. It opens next Tuesday, August 28th, and will run until Sunday, September 9th.

Some of those taking part are already familiar names like Sorcha O’Raghallaigh and JW Anderson. O’Raghallaigh, one of Selfridges’ Bright Young Things, is associated with theatrical and embellished creations, as well as less fanciful alternatives. London-based JW Anderson from Derry, now making a name internationally – and also doing a line for Topshop – will display a one-off capsule collection, while Natalie B Coleman, known for her hand-printed silks, and milliner Mark T Burke, will return for the second time.

New faces include Lisa Ryder with a scarf collection; Lisa Shawgi, establishing her knitwear label, and Lorna Burton, whose commitment to sustainability extends to the fabrics and packaging of her bags and accessories. The others are Riona Treacy, who worked with Alexander McQueen and whose designs were used in his final collection, and Rainbow Winters, who launched her first ready-to-wear capsule collection in September. Winters is a British/Swiss artist whose touch, sense, sound interactive clothing is aimed at music videos, rock concerts and red carpet events.

But back to Rebecca Marsden. Her graduate collection, called Cellular Collision, based on the idea of cellular changes post-transplant, was the starting point for manipulating metal and net into iridescent pleating that ripples around the body. “I’ve always been interested in fashion mostly from the textile angle,” says the Sligo-based designer. “I absolutely love pushing boundaries and seeing how far I can go. I started with boning to form structure, but I wanted something I could manipulate a little more.”

The lustre and filament of the mesh was picked up by the sheen of the brass to create the final effect so dramatically. Her work experience in London and in India during her student years was invaluable. “New Delhi was fantastic – there was so much production and so much accessibility and ease. I learned about the vacuum forming process they use there. India was all about bright colour, beading and tactile textures whereas working in London with the Korean designer Eudon Choi I learned about moulding and shaping rather than textile experimentation. I loved his clean lines and construction. It was a good balance.”

For Brown Thomas, she is working on knitwear and accessories. “Not a lot of people will consider the statement items as wearable, so I have diluted some pieces,” she says. She is considering furthering her studies with an MA in London in future textiles, but in the meantime thinks she may expand the knitwear. “I am enjoying it and as much as I like Aran knitwear, I would like to inject more contemporary design into it. I really enjoy putting garments together, but I never lack enthusiasm for textiles.”

Art is in the family. Her mother is an artist and ceramicist, her sister an art historian and a painter. Living in the countryside in Sligo she is inspired by its shifting light and colours, but her individual creativity marks her out as a talent to watch.

“She’s an original thinker, very confident and not afraid to speak her mind,” says Anne Melinn, course director at LSAD. “She has a fine art approach, with an original angle always, and is never afraid to take risks. She has real vision and determination.”