Sarah's millinery designs at London Fashion Week
Ashbourne milliner Sarah O’ Rourke of Saraden Designs will tomorrow (Monday) be exhibiting her six piece Debut Collection with IC Luxury Networking in 100 Wardour Street, Soho, London, during London Fashion Week.
The collection itself has been created around The Deleek Four Season Love Knot Celtic Symbol. It is a series of knots that are overlapped or interwoven, and there is no definitive beginning or end.
The knots are complete loops that have no start or finish, this is to represent eternity. The symbol represents the four seasons of the year that are interdependent on each other with the help of four distinct interlocking circles. This design not only represents the Four Seasons but also Sarah’s Irish Heritage.
This design was created repeatedly using Saraden Fabric. The symbols were manipulated in different ways for each design, creating six unique pieces.
Sarah wanted to create not only millinery pieces but to make pieces of art that are eye catching and echo her sculptural background. Each piece has taken hundreds of hours from fabric making to construction to embellishment.
Saraden Designs is a Millinery and Sewn Illustration Company based in Ashbourne. It is a unique company as the fabric used in each millinery design has been designed and constructed in house by Sarah.
The fabric is named Saraden Fabric and cannot be replicated once constructed, making each design bespoke to its owner. There is often speculation as to how Saraden Fabric is constructed but Sarah will be keeping a tight lid on her niche. ‘Wearable Art’ is a term which is used to describe Sarah’s work. This is due to the combination of sculpture techniques, fashion, art and design together including mixed media and own brand fabrics.
2018 has been an exciting year for Saraden Designs with a list of exhibitions and competitions under her belt with more to come.
• November 2018 – Lincoln International Millinery Competition & Exhibition – United Kingdom - Design - Amity
• September 2018 – Saraden Designs Debut Collection, during London Fashion Week with IC Luxury Fashion Network, Soho London
• June 2018 – NHV The Netherlands Exhibition & Competition –Theatre De Harmonie Leeuwarden – Design - Tempest
• April 2018 - Mad Hatters Society Annual Competition – Design- Berries – Placed second
• March 2018 – London Hat week - The Living Center London – Design - Evolution
• February 2018 - Fashions Finest @ London Fashion Week - Devere Grand Connaught Rooms London – Design - Flourish
• February 2018 - London Hat Week Press Conference – Design - Evolution (Chosen to exhibit)
• January 2018 – Hatalk Traditional Millinery Competition - Sequence
Sarah is a member of The Design & Craft Council of Ireland and a Professional Member of Visual Arts Ireland. This LFW Collection will be exhibited as apart of Culture Night 2018 on September 21st in Chartered Accountants, Pearse Street. Previous pieces from 2018 exhibitions will be on display in Blanchardstown Library also during Culture night. Saraden Designs has been nominated to go forward to the Hi-Style Awards 2018 in Cork later this year.
