Compiled by DEIRDRE McQUILLAN
Swede style
Next month, Dublin boutique Indigo Cloth will celebrate its fifth birthday and its staying power. One of the first to realise the potential of Sth William Street, its owner, pioneering retailer Garrett Pitcher, is marking the anniversary by collaborating with Smock in Drury Street for a “shop-in-shop” where he will relocate his womenswear selection on its first floor. That means that from now on, Indigo Cloth will remain exclusively a men’s lifestyle retail store and creative agency. Pitcher has made many other interesting collaborations recently including one with Molloys weavers in Donegal and the Cooley Distillery as well as being one of the forces behind Thread magazine. This winter coat is by Dagmar (€500), the avant garde Swedish label run by three sisters, is typical of some of his unusual finds can be found upstairs in Smock.
The art of found objects
From an Irish background, Claire Walsh is a fashion designer who cut her teeth working for Burberry, Oasis, Michiko Koshino, Zandra Rhodes and others before setting up a boutique in London in 2005 to showcase young designers. Last year, she and her husband Tom Conroy, a master craftsman, upped tools and relocated to Louisburgh, Co Mayo with their three children. Since then she has started illustrating and making collages from recycled materials like maps, stamps and even jam-jar labels and has created some striking portraits using personal articles relating to the sitter. This one, Sara (€295 from Duffys Craft Shop, Louisburgh, Co Mayo) is from her portfolio at Clairesiobhanwalsh.com
Schoolgirl chic
JW Anderson, who has been shortlisted along with Simone Rocha and Michael van der Ham for an Emerging Talent Award by the British Fashion Council, was in Dublin recently revisiting Brown Thomas where he once did time in the menswear department. Now, in an unusual development, his more affordable womenswear collection for Topshop (“schoolgirl chic meets punk meets American high school preppy”) will be launched today in BT2 and Brown Thomas, Cork. This will include a number of exclusive styles not available to buy elsewhere in Ireland, including quirky signature print T-shirts, short kilts and a varsity jacket, at prices from €45.99 to €197.99. This owl print jumper is €105.99 and the kilt, €75.99.
