'Pennywell' is a beautiful, delicate homage to my Grandmother representing her childhood and her experiences within one of Ireland’s industrial schools. I drew inspiration from her photographs, the details within the school she lived in alongside the Magdalene Laundry – which was located on the grounds of her school – and her most loved memories she had growing up, which I gathered from a series of interviews and conversations.
It is a womenswear collection which features a combination of fabric manipulation techniques such as shiboré, embroidery, pintucks, quilting and laser cutting to convey the textural, feminine qualities that underpin the collection. The fabrics featured in the collection consist of cotton bed sheets, cotton organdie, power mesh and silk organza. The collection is primarily white which symbolises the purity and innocence of her childhood with a hint of soft pink undertones.
