Compiled by DEIRDRE McQUILLAN
Avoca's new jewels
Avoca has launched its first jewellery collection. Called Finders Keepers, it is designed by Amanda Pratt, who draws inspiration from her private scrapbooks. “They have always been full of words and wishes, so it seemed entirely natural that words would be part of the design,” she says.
The rings, bracelets, necklaces and bangles are engraved with quotes such as “Twinkle like the star you are” and “Carpe diem”, and were developed in association with Ruth Ni Loinsigh of the Om Diva vintage shop in Dublin. Made in Thailand from silver, brass, enamel, resin and gold plate, they cost from €35 to €250 and will be available in Avoca stores on Dublin’s Suffolk Street and in Rathcoole, Kilmacanogue and Belfast from the end of this month.
Woolly thinking
A cabled gilet/jumper made from recycled wool is the work of designer Dee Harte, collaborating with a group of knitters in Kilkenny.
Last year, Harte, who has a degree in textiles from NCAD, gathered together 65 skilled knitters to create panels that she assembled in to one piece. Their current project involves knitting discarded blanket edgings to create a special item for the Kilkenny Arts Festival, highlighting imaginative ways of recycling. This jumper, along with neckpieces, scarves and other accessories, is available in the Design Centre, Dublin.
Best foot forward
There’s a clean, modern angularity to the footwear of award-winning Danish designer Camilla Skovgaard, now stocked exclusively in Ireland in the cool environs of the Samui boutique in Cork. Fame came quickly to Skovgaard when Saks Fifth Avenue bought her entire collection while she was still a student at the Royal College of Art in London. Today, her footwear is stocked in more than 33 countries and on net-a-porter.com. Like Nicholas Kirkwood, the emphasis of her design is on form rather than decoration. This ankle boot, in perforated grey suede with tooth-edged sole, is typical of her graphic style. Available from Samui, 17 Drawbridge Street, Cork.
