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Limerick fashion designer Aoife Mc Namara celebrates three years in business
Designer Aoife Mc Namara is a graduate of Limerick School of Art & Design and a former intern at Marc Jacobs.
Aoife is celebrating the three-year milestone by launching a 100% Irish linen collection
One of Ireland’s most exciting young fashion stars, 27-year-old Limerick designer Aoife Mc Namara, celebrates three years in business this week from her landmark cottage in Adare, Co. Limerick.
To mark the occasion, Mc Namara launches a new 100% Irish Linen collection this Friday, June 24 and is offering 20% off in-store this weekend (June 25-26). The designer relaunched her best-selling ‘Roots’ collection this week with a full re-stock of the classic pieces after much consumer demand.
Officially launched in 2020, designer Aoife Mc Namara has doubled sales of her eponymous fashion label every year since, producing seven sustainability-driven clothing collections in that time. In 2021, mid-pandemic, the young designer opened her flagship store in one of Adare’s quaint thatched cottages. At the cottage, you can browse Mc Namara’s dream-like designs and items from other local Irish artists.
Speaking about reaching the three-year milestone, founder and designer Aoife Mc Namara said, “Looking back over the past three years I am so proud of all that’s been achieved in a relatively short space of time. It seems like only yesterday I was doing an apprenticeship in New York, and now I have a label of my own.
“I see every day as an opportunity to work towards my vision of creating a completely sustainable Irish fashion brand. We’re continuing to work towards circularity, using alternative materials and cutting-edge technologies to decrease our environmental impact. It’s such an exciting time to be working in fashion.”
A graduate of Limerick School of Art & Design and former intern at Marc Jacobs, Mc Namara possesses an intuitive skill for marrying modern tailoring with traditional and innovative sustainable materials. In addition to her innate talent for design, the 27-year-old has proven to be a phenomenal young female entrepreneur.
In her three years in business, Mc Namara has opened a flagship store, launched several sell-out collections, amassed a cult fan following and run two successful pop-up stores in Kildare Village. She’s also scooped numerous awards, secured several global brand partnerships and established herself as a trailblazer in the sustainable fashion industry.
Constantly innovating and pushing boundaries, Mc Namara’s designs are inspired by nature, with a vision to protect it. Many garments are manufactured in Ireland using traditional fabrics such as Irish tweeds, sourced from a local woollen mill John Hanly’s, and biodegradable Irish linens.
Mc Namara also incorporates modern sustainable materials, such as Secell – made from seaweed – and Cupro – a fabric made of regenerated cellulose fibres from recycled cotton linter via a ‘closed-loop’ manufacturing process. The brand also follows a made-to-order model, a more ethical and sustainable approach that eliminates overproduction and reduces the risk of excess stock.
Earlier this year, Mc Namara revealed the latest collection, her seventh, ‘Enchanted by Nature, In a Disenchanted World’. The breathtaking 15-piece collection evokes the vibrant spirit of Ireland’s wild beauty to reignite a sense of wonder in our natural environment.
Sharing further insight on her motivation behind her design process, Mc Namara added: “As a society, we are often so disconnected from our natural world. As a designer, I see it as my responsibility to help educate a wave of conscious consumers and to create clothes that inspire a reconnection with nature.”
“Without our planet, we literally can’t survive. Through my designs, I hope to spark ‘that’ connection to nature once again. I truly believe fashion as an art form has the power to reignite that spark deep inside a person.”
Enjoy 20% off Aoife Mc Namara this weekend from Aoife’s Cottage in Adare, Co. Limerick. Follow @aoife_ireland on Instagram for sustainability tips and styling inspiration.
About the Brand:
Founded in 2019, Aoife Mc Namara is a luxury sustainable fashion brand that creates unique garments inspired by nature to protect nature.
Aoife Mc Namara’s mission is to reimagine the future of sustainable design by reconnecting the fashion industry to the natural world. It is committed to an innovative fashion future that values creativity and beauty, people and planet, and quality over quantity.
Aoife Mc Namara follows a made-to-order mode, a more ethical and sustainable approach to eliminating overproduction and reducing the risk of excess stock. All garments are manufactured in Ireland using traditional fabrics such as Irish tweeds and linens and innovative sustainable materials, including PYRATEX and Cupro.
About the Founder
The founder and chief designer of her eponymous label, Aoife McNamara, has always been passionate about the natural world. So after securing an Honours degree from Limerick School of Art & Design and gaining industry experience in Paris and New York, Aoife set about creating unique Irish garments that were at peace with the planet. Since 2019, the Aoife Mc Namara brand has gained a cult following online and established a flagship store in a thatched cottage in Adare, Co. Limerick.
Mc Namara fosters a culture of grassroots collaboration and community empowerment by partnering with local suppliers and artists. Her award-winning collections are inspired by Ireland’s wild beauty and incorporate innovative practices.
Aoife Mc Namara Cottage
In 2020, Aoife Mc Namara opened its flagship store in a quaint thatched cottage on Adare Main Street, Co. Limerick. The Cottage is an innovative hub for designers and creatives so that you can browse Aoife’s dream-like designs and diverse local Irish art. It’s a space for creativity, ideas, connection, and education.
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