The most important annual international trade show for Irish design is expected to be the busiest on record when it opens in Dublin later this month.
Showcase Ireland, which runs from January 22nd to 25th at the RDS, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and expects over 9,000 visitors from 30 countries.
Described by Irish craftspeople as "hugely important" to their survival on the international stage, it will feature new products from the worlds of fashion, interiors, giftware, crafts and jewellery.
Among those exhibiting will be jeweller Jennifer Kinnear, whose work is available from her studio in Temple Bar, Dublin, as well as from numerous stores across the State.
Describing her pieces as variously "big, bold and funky for the younger fashionista types" and "timeless and elegant", she says that Showcase is "very important", adding: "It gets my product out there and gets me access to buyers who are otherwise very difficult to contact."
A spokeswoman for Showcase said that although visitor numbers were expected to be the highest ever, the number of exhibitors was at a constant - as high as the RDS could accommodate, although it could be higher. "There is a long list of young designers waiting to get into Showcase," she said. "All are stringently vetted to get in, the criteria being good pricing, good quality and innovative design."
While there was still a huge demand for the Aran sweater end of the market, Showcase dispelled any notion buyers might have that that was all there was to Irish crafts, she added.
