Some disciplines just refuse to recognise their natural borders. Fashion designers, formerly concerned with clothing, have been steadily spreading their wings during the 1990s. First they colonised related fields such as accessories and cosmetics. Then came minor incursions into home fragrance and bathroom products. Now there seems to be barely a corner of consumerism untouched by designers determined to put their stamp on everything.
You could blame it on the Wallpaper phenomenon - after the successful magazine which blends fashion, architecture, home furnishings and food - this has been one of the definitive style trends during the past decade. Designers such as Calvin Klein and Donna Karan in the US and Nicole Farhi in England now offer their customers a range of items from scented soaps to tableware. And of course the colonisation process has spread to this country, catching public attention exactly two years ago when a range of glassware commissioned from John Rocha by Waterford Crystal became an instantaneous hit. Now Tipperary Crystal is expecting similar success with a range designed by Louise Kennedy, whose design outlet in Merrion Square combines fashion and home goods. There are three different but complementary collections in which airiness and a sense of movement are consistent features. Kennedy says becoming involved with this project seemed a natural development to her.
"I was thrilled to be asked because of my strong Tipperary connections: I've always maintained a sense of where I come from." Tipperary Crystal's chief executive, Niall Wall, explains that Kennedy was invited to work with the company "because she is a terrifically elegant designer and we felt she would add value to our product range." This is not the first time Tipperary has worked with a fashion designer. In 1992, well ahead of the John Rocha/Waterford association, Sybil Connolly produced a crystal collection for Tipperary which continues to be produced and sold solely through Tiffany's of New York. Kennedy's crystal has been almost two years in preparation. "I had to ask myself how could I turn to a different form but still give it what I believe are the key features of my work; a look that's streamlined, slim, elegant and with a sense of proportion. I wanted to apply these to the crystal. I was very aware that I had to go back and do my research. Having looked at old crystal in museums, I discovered there are a lot of things one might think are unique but which were actually done 100 or more years ago. That was my challenge: to come up with something fresh and different." An additional challenge for Kennedy - and one faced by Rocha and Connolly before her - was working in a medium posing unfamiliar technical challenges. "I was able to bring along ideas that maybe a traditional designer in glass wouldn't have explored; my lack of knowledge of technique was a handicap but also a strength."
Wanting to accentuate slimness, she had to discover how long wineglass stems could be made so that they were both visually and functionally satisfying. "I wanted them to be good in the hand and on the eye." She pays tribute to Tipperary's technical designer, Tim O'Halloran, and the master cutter, Eamonn Delahunty, who acted as her guides in discovering how to work with crystal. "Unlike clothing, which can take weeks to produce from first sketch to finished garment, glass can be made in a single day. I used to go to the factory outside Carrick-on-Suir on Sundays when it was quiet and work there with Eamonn, who's passionate about what he does and a stickler for detail. We determined the basic shape first of all and then would work at different cuts, asking ourselves `where does the design fit in on these silhouettes?' and having to be conscious of giving a sense of variety to each one.
Fractional changes and tweaking can make a huge difference between the result working or not." Although Louise Kennedy says there were times when "I'd come back from the factory feeling totally frustrated because nothing seemed to be coming together", she is delighted with the final results, as is Tipperary's Niall Wall. Store buyers coming to view the range and place orders, he remarks, have commented that "the range is significantly different to what else is available on the market. It has a lot of unique attributes and I think that's what has surprised them." Buyers were asked to take the total range and not pick individual items from it, but according to Wall, "although we suggested a basic stocklist, we've found this has been well surpassed". Niall Wall describes the new Tipperary Crystal collection as having "a feminine touch, which is almost diametrically opposed to other lines". Traditionally, crystal has been defined by its substantial shape and weight, but Kennedy has tried to make her designs as light as possible without losing a sense of solidity. Summarising her style for the crystal as "tall and elegant", she feels each piece offers a sense of movement and lightness.
The three different lines are called Sea Aster, Earth Star and Spindle Tree and within each is a champagne flute, a goblet, a white wineglass and two tumblers of differing heights. In addition, there are water jugs, flower vases, candlesticks and bowls in a variety of sizes. The shapes are all slender, the cuts sinuous and inclined to lap around the form. As with other examples of contemporary crystal, there is far less fussiness in the cut than with more traditional designs. "The whole silhouette - its cleanness - is the most important thing," Kennedy suggests. But, she insists, "these are not `pieces.' The entire range is something we want people to be using every day when they are at home." This was the particular triumph of John Rocha's designs for Waterford Crystal; far from being treated as precious heirlooms - the usual fate for expensive glassware - they became items of daily use in many Irish homes.
Penny O'Neill, Waterford's senior brand manager, says the popularity of the Rocha crystal took everyone by surprise, with sales in Ireland four times higher than expected. "We assumed it was going to take a while to catch on, but almost as soon as the glass was on the shelves it began selling to customers who obviously saw what they had been looking for." O'Neill says Waterford's launch of the John Rocha line is now used in marketing circles as a case study of how to introduce a new product to the public. Tipperary Crystal will have paid particular attention to how Waterford conducted the event. Niall Wall says the company has spent about £500,000 on this project, covering everything from the initial product design to the design of packaging.
Just as with Waterford, the Louise Kennedy/Tipperary line will first be offered only to the Irish market before making its debut during the autumn in Britain where the designer would be very well known for her clothing. Again, like most other companies in this field, Tipperary is keen to develop its export business further; at the moment, sales are split almost 50/50 between the domestic and overseas market. A range such as this should help raise its profile among younger consumers at home and abroad, as happened with Waterford Crystal. "This has been a fabulous project to work on," says Louise Kennedy. "I was given total freedom with my brief and while I went into it with a lot of trepidation, I'm very happy with the results."