We Are Islanders are a new Irish fashion line that produces high-end luxurious pieces, all which are 100% eco-friendly. Their collection Tidal showcases their installation ‘4/704’, depicting the tide lines on four unique garments, bringing art, fashion and nature together as one. Their debut took place on Thursday 24th October in the Royal Hibernian Academy Gallery, Dublin with personal touches on the introduction to their label. All three of the ladies, Rosie O’Reilly, Kate Nolan & Deirdre Hynds, were on hand to chat with visitors and explain the We Are Islanders collection and its concept.
We Are Islanders built four structures at Sandymount Strand, so as the high tides came in they would mix with the dyes inside the structures, each creating a unique pieces so that each are one-of-a-kind and can’t be replicated. Each of these garments is made of bamboo silk and they are the key pieces to the collection, showing the connection to the Irish Sea and how the sea can be a fierce form of nature and yet create such beautiful calm-like pieces. The installation physically recorded 4 of the 704 high tides of Dublin, hence its clever title.
All pieces contain fabrics either produced in Ireland or they’re sustainable, such as the bamboo silk. These silk pieces are the unique tidal-dyed garments, which were also part of the Dublin Fringe Festival earlier this summer. Other pieces are made of Donegal linen, and though they give off a waxy or leathery look, it’s actually beaten to give it that glaze & shine. Though there is great misconception about how linen wears and creases, We Are Islanders bring linen into a completely new environment, reinventing it and making it sturdy, quilting it and creating lux pieces. Another key feature to the Tidelines collection is their gold print work, running through on many pieces. They represent the tidal marks on the sand, both the high and low tides. The collection also includes big woolly scarves, made of Donegal yarn, that are on-point with the Irish climate and will properly keep you warm through the Irish rain and winds. Woolen coats are also evident in their collection, rapping the big coats trend. The coat uses Tipperary wool, which has been made into such a soft material you’d swear it was silk! To top it off many pieces in the collection also use blackened salmon leather trims, which have been attained from an organic salmon farm in Galway, sent to Germany to be tanned and then returned to Irish shores to finish. These trims are so unique and really reflect the Irishness within We Are Islanders’ fashion.
Be sure to follow We Are Islanders on Twitter & Instagram, and shop their collection in The Loft Market, Powerscourt or online in the E-Store.
Killer Fashion 