A tweed jacket, specifically Donegal tweed from Ireland’s northwest county, is a versatile piece of clothing suitable to go with jeans, heels, wellingtons, long print skirts and dresses. This unique fabric continues to inspire innovative ideas and creativity. Rising talents such as Donegal-based Leila Worth and Copenhagen’s Caoimhe Dowling, alongside established weaver Chris Weineger from Donegal Yarns, find fresh interpretations of this heritage material.
Worth is pioneering in hand weaving, and Dowling creates outstanding tweed coats and separates using specially woven distorted herringbone tweed from Woven In the Bone, a Scottish artisan weaver. Anna Guerin also contributes to the innovation with her Landskein collection that replicates the heritage textile in refreshing ways.
According to Kieran Mulhern who comes from a family of weavers at Triona in Ardara, weaving cloth mirrors composing music. The rhythm and melody of the weaving process can be therapeutic and hypnotic. Like a musicians’ commitment to their song, weavers are deeply engrossed in the making of fabric by monitoring the thread and maintaining the right tension, a process requiring excellent coordination, technique, wrist action and timing.
Visitors of Triona’s main outlet in Donegal will be greeted by 80-year-old weaver Connell Gavigan, weaving for three or four days a week. His dedication to weaving since he was a teenager, coupled with his immense patience and temperament, make him a favourite among visitors, says Mulhern.
Upon close inspection, each piece of their newly launched 11-item collection reveals intricate patterns, textures, colours, and sublime details and flecks that may not be immediately noticeable.
Besides providing 100 per cent pure wool and lambswool coats and jackets, Triona also offers more premium pieces made from softer cashmere and merino mix yarns, woven exclusively for them by Hanly & Co in Tipperary. Their design process is headed by designer Emma Quinn, a graduate of Limerick School of Art and Design, who has been with the company for almost eight years. She collaborates closely with Mulhern, his sister Caitríona (trivia – the company was named after her) and their father, Denis, a fifth-generation weaver who plays a crucial role in choosing the right fabric.
Mulhern often characterises the company, set up by Denis back in the 1980s in Ardara’s former mart, as a traditional brand that has embraced a contemporary path. This season sees the introduction of generously sized black twill and camel check coats accented with belts, accompanied by updated fan favourites like Triona’s renowned Prince of Wales trench coat, dubbed “Faye”, and popularised by Sarah Jessica Parker’s character, Carrie Bradshaw, in the series ‘And Just Like That’. The coat now sports a modernised navy tweed look.
Another thriving product is a checked coat with a hint of raspberry, a typical Triona item. The adaptability of these pieces is optimally showcased when creatively worn for fall or winter climate. Picture a stylish blazer paired with a lengthy skirt, an oatmeal jacket combined with a similarly hued sweater, or a long coat matched with a patterned dress or denim outfit – or even just paired simply with jeans and chunky scarves.
In Magee’s newest tweed range, famous for its 150-year weaving history, celebrity appeal is apparent. Notably, Hollywood star Pierce Brosnan swung by their Donegal shop last March, donning a cold weather suit of a Melvin jacket and baker cap crafted from Donegal tweed, during the filming of the upcoming Irish romantic film ‘Four Letters of Love’.
Sarah Jessica Parker’s captured attention with her pink tweed coat purchase from Magee, retailing at €575. An accompanying online photograph led to the coat being snatched up quickly.
Bold new entries this season include the Sophie coat, with its long line double-breasted design, crafted in St Brigid’s Cross weave – an audacious, oversized check pattern. Their “work to weekend” outfits feature a camel bouclé jacket sporting gold buttons, to be paired with a mini flared skirt, lightweight wool houndstooth trousers or simply jeans. Other coat designs feature raglan sleeves or an orange herringbone pattern.
Charlotte Temple, Magee’s creative director, enjoys rejuvenating traditional fabrics with a modern flair from the family’s archives. Stated fondly, “My late grandma Maureen had a unique style and adored fashion. While exploring her wardrobe, I found two 1970s Dublin-made Donegal tweed jackets she used to wear: one in vibrant pink salt and pepper and the other in a black-and-white Prince of Wales check – good to go even today,” she recalls.
While Temple may have an inclination towards the simple elegance of black and white, she cites her mother, Elizabeth, and her sister, Rosy’s fondness and bold approach towards colours as another form of inspiration. She enjoys the process of exploring the rich array of textures at her disposal and takes pleasure in experimenting with patterns. Some patterns have a vintage edge to them but Temple enjoys updating them, making them interesting and wearable, particularly in ultra-light merino. Moreover, she believes the inclusion of a pair of heels always adds a touch of style.