Tag Archives: Irish designer

Men of Action: Ireland’s Rural Landscape Inspires John Rocha’s Latest Collection

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John Rocha often fuses his Chinese heritage with his adopted country (Image from M. J. Dibb, via Google Images)

John Rocha often fuses his Chinese heritage with his adopted country (Image from KaiChanVong, via Flickr Creative Commons)

The catwalks at London Fashion Week came alive with the beauty of Ireland over the weekend, when design power house John Rocha brought his adopted home to proceedings.

John Rocha settled in Dublin after graduating from art college and since then Ireland has been a hub of creativity for him. Its where he launched his first label, Chinatown, before going on to design lines for many of Dublin’s luxury stores, including the renowned Brown Thomas.

He clearly shares a love of the country displayed by The Wild Geese. Although they hoped and believed that they would see Ireland again, many of The Wild Geese did not return. But the country was always in their hearts.

In his latest designs John Rocha has embraced the powerful colours of the rural Irish landscape:

‘The collection is inspired by the Wicklow countryside. The colours and texture of the Sally Gap on a winter’s day’

 

The Sally Gap in the Wicklow Mountains, John Rocha's latest inspiration (Image from Brian.Mo via Flickr Creative Commons)

The Sally Gap in the Wicklow Mountains, John Rocha’s latest inspiration (Image from Brian.Mo via Flickr Creative Commons)

This has helped him envisage what outfits would suit this stunning backdrop:

‘I like the idea of some old-fashioned charm, coat and dresses together. For me, at this stage of my career, it’s all about making women as beautiful as possible – it’s not just about the clothes’

Check out John Rocha’s latest collection inspired by Ireland on his website:
http://www.johnrocha.ie/

Wild Geese Today: J. W. Anderson, Irish Design At Its Best

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Fashion and drama are familiar bedfellows and combine for some memorable clothing designs.

J. W. Anderson blasted onto the scene in 2009, with a collection based on fantastical adventures. His fall 2009 collection got heads turning at the Topman/Fashion East MAN – a scheme that supports emerging designers – where he fused two of his major obsessions: a love of mystical characters and sinister phenomena.

Although he caught the fashion industry off guard, this collection was perhaps a long time coming.

Anderson moved from Ireland to Washington D. C. in the USA to study drama. His eyes were beckoned by stage and screen. Upon graduation, he found his way into the costume department, which brought about a new opportunity. Like The Wild Geese, Anderson found himself in an expected situation and decided to run with. He enrolled in fashion school in London. Like The Wild Geese, he made the right choice.

Since his fall 2009 collection, based on fantastical adventures, he has grown within the fashion industry. Earlier this year he championed the Irish Designers Create project in Dublin, which brought together a whole mix of Irish designers and placed them in the ‘House of Irish design’ – Brown Thomas.

Considering that his new collection (now available in the UK’s Topshop) is one of the hottest ranges of the year, Anderson has graduated from the new kid on the block and is now a powerhouse of the fashion industry with only the sky as his limit.