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Meet Designer Grainne O’Connor
After many years working in the education sector developing and utilizing her artistic and creative skills on a daily basis, Gráinne O’ Connor finally decided to formalize her life long interest in design and fashion when she enrolled in Mallow College of Design & Tailoring part-time City & Guilds Diploma in Fashion in 2008, which she completed in May of this year.
A highlight in Gráinne’s design journey so far was a fashion shoot with noted fashion photographer Miki Barlok, styled by stylist Kate Slattery. Gráinne designed all the unique pieces for this shoot, which was based on the Irish legend ‘Diarmuid & Gráinne’, with each shot telling a piece of the amazing story. The “Style Bible”, Ireland’s biggest online fashion beauty and lifestyle magazine, which featured the photographs, described this shoot as ‘stunning’. They also highlighted that “this dramatic and striking shoot tells the remarkable tale superbly”. The photographs also featured in the August 2010 edition of Cork Now magazine.
Diarmuid & Gráinne Photographs: http://www.stylebible.ie/Fashion/Features_Diarmuid%20and%20Grainne%20Shoot.htm
Her designs have been featured at many fashion shows, including the Mallow College of Design and Tailoring Shows, The Athena Fashion Show, and at the Cystic Fibrosis Fundraising Fashion Show in the Brehon Hotel, Killarney in June 2011. As a result of these shows Gráinne’s designs were featured in local newspapers. Working from her home in Cork City, Gráinne has continues to design many individual pieces.
Gráinne’s designs have been heavily influenced by her love of music – having in the past been inspired by the bodhrán. More recently, Gráinne drew inspiration from the well known song ‘Cosmic Love’ by Florence and the Machine. The challenge of designing pieces using such an abstract source, a song, as a source of inspiration was one that Gráinne relished and her collection captured the mood, the soul, the mystical themes and symbols of the song. Gráinne is looking forward to seeing this collection at Cork Fashion Week.
