Health, Fashion and Lifestyle with Denise McNamara

Galway’s most eclectic fashion brand, The Tweed Project, celebrates its tenth anniversary with the launch of a new collection this summer.

The handmade made-to-measure pieces made entirely of Irish fabrics will not be for everyone. But they are pieces that will last a lifetime and will be handed down through the family for years.

Made from specially selected cuts of premium Donegal Tweed and Irish Linen, the 2024 collection features blush pink linen from Emblem Weavers in Wexford and cream Tweed from Molly & Sons. It also has a select offering of handmade Aran knits.

“Being small means that each garment gets all the love and attention that makes for an authentic one-off piece of Irish design,” explains co-founder and designer Triona Lillis.

The costume designer for film, TV and theatre and restauranteur Aoibheann MacNamara set up The Tweed Project to bridge the gap between tradition and contemporary design. They started off with just a five-piece collection in 2014, securing orders and making everything in-house.

Both are passionate about Irish fabrics but could not find pieces that they would both like to wear.

“The Tweed Project is part of The Slow Fashion movement, where fabric, time and craft take priority over trends and fast consumer culture. This collection, called A Gentle Life, resonates with the ethos of gentleness and mindful consumption.”

Photographs for the new collection were taken by the sea in Co Clare, explains Aoibheann, who has been running Ard Bia at Nimmo’s, one of the city’s most successful eateries in Galway city – for two decades. She now lives partly in the Burren where she plans to create an eco-rental, has horses, a veg plot and a beehive on a 32-acre plot in the countryside near Corofin. The home she renovated from a carpenter’s workshop and a mechanic’s garage on Henry Street featured on Ireland’s Home of the Year.

“This collection seeks to forge a connection between today’s wearer and the bohemian souls who once inhabited the rugged landscapes of Clare a century ago. Through a tapestry of Donegal woven Prairie blankets, the collection channels the essence of a simpler time, where the pursuit of aestheticism and freedom reigned supreme,” she reflects.

“Our principles remain unchanged; our love for what we do continues to drive us forward. We are grateful for every piece we have had the privilege to create—and every client we have.”

■ Prices for pieces start at €120. For more information and to explore the collection, visit www.thetweedproject.com.

Pictured: The Tweed Project designers, Triona Lillis and Aoibheann MacNamara.