The Irony of ASDA

There is an irony here. I work at a company that specializes in handmade items. The weavers are located next to the office. I can hear the clack of the looms as I type. One of a kind hand knit hats are sold in the mill store downstairs. Great care and effort are put into the work that they do. They are indignant when cheap knock-offs of their goods are produced in China. And then everyone shops at ASDA.

ASDA is the Walmart of this part of the world. It is located just over the border in Northern Ireland. They sell acrylic sweaters for under ten pounds. Food is cheap. They primarily stock groceries. Their George line was put together by the creative team from Next and has good style/design aesthetic and colors that pop though the garments are made of cheap blended fabrics and produced for pennies in Asia.

Back in Easthampton I take for granted that there are half a dozen supermarkets and three natural food stores within twenty minutes. Here in Kilcar at the local store the smallest head of wilted lettuce you have ever seen was on sale for three and a half euro. That's five dollars for a handful of rotten greens! Then again, good cheese and soda bread are quite affordable.

I am accustomed to the Valley's "buy local" ethos and life doesn't work that way in Ireland. The coats, and throws and hats produced at Studio Donegal are destined for the export and luxury markets. They are not intended for local consumption. That's not to say that locals don't buy them but they are not the target customers.

I'm feeling a little funny about that.

Showcase Ireland

Showcase Ireland is a huge event. As well as the usual commercial merchandise (Guinness mugs and "Kiss me I'm Irish" t-shirts) this tradeshow features the work of Irish craft producers--potters, jewelers, furniture makers, leather workers, and of course hand-weavers. All of these artisans were grouped together in a special section called "Creative Island" at the entrance to the show.

This was, in fact, a reflection of how the show began over thirty years ago. Originally, it was just for artisans and attracted buyers interested in genuine hand-made products. (I heard some wild tales about those early shows!) As times changed and the popularity of the show grew the original mission changed. It was good to see a recognition of this history in the layout.


Here is Tristan, the Manager here at Studio Donegal, manning the stand (and modeling one of our coats).

When not hard at work in the booth I had a chance to wander about and meet other producers. At one point I was having a coffee when a young woman in the most unbelievable red floral hat walked by.


I fell in love with it instantly. Rebekah Patterson is the designer. Her work is remarkably clever. She uses both vintage and contemporary materials. I want that hat...and the occasion and outfit to go with it!

I also couldn't resist the work of Hope & Benson.
They use some of Studio's tweeds in the construction of their bags. The simple shapes are terrific and the whole collection has a fun whimsical feel. I almost came home with one, but it was gone by the end of the show.

The Everyday and the Unfamiliar

It snowed here yesterday! I woke up in the morning thinking there had been a hard frost but was proven wrong when I stepped outside. Even the sheep look cold. These woolly creatures graze in the pastures surrounding my cottage. That's not it in the background, by the way, but mine is very similar.

What with all the cold and damp and traveling and hard work I have a cold. This is no great worry really. But it points out a few things that I take for granted back home. Cough medicine, for example.

Before the other day this product was completely unfamiliar to me. Then again there wasn't a bottle of anything familiar in the local market. It doesn't help that the labels are in English and that you can read the list of ingredients. You still don't know what to buy. So I asked the girl behind the counter for a recommendation. This is one of the "most popular" choices she said. Wow! I can see why. It's like swallowing fire. Anything tight in your chest is instantly opened. And all sore throat pain is dispelled because you can't feel anything there anymore.

I love it here, and I miss the comforts of home. I miss my warm dry house and my long hot showers. I very much miss my washer and drier. The other night was laundry night. Three years ago when I was here my clothes turned mysterious colors. Well, it has happened again. My long underwear, once white, are now blue. And here's why, the water is GREEN. Not just a little but very much so.

I like having a hot bath at the end of the day but I may come home some shade of Leprechaun. Needless to say, I have acquired filtered water from Kirsten, my incredibly generous colleague, for use in the electric kettle and general consumption.

The kettle, by the way, is a gentile fixture in daily life. One drinks tea or coffee with breakfast, then during break at eleven, and finally for lunch at two. You might have one later in the afternoon too. That thing is always on. This is fantastic! Always a hot steamy beverage in your hand.

It's a perplexing balance of hardship and niceties.

First Day in Kilcar

This was the view on my walk to work this morning. It was a very short walk, just a few hundred yards, before it started to rain. Then I was graciously offered a ride into the mill by one of the many friendly locals.

We are just getting back from Showcase Ireland in Dublin. There is much scurrying about unpacking the van, replacing samples, and organizing the orders. Even with that the pace is much slower here than in the city.

Studio Donegal, where I will be working for the next three weeks, is located in the small rural village of Kilcar in County Donegal. The landscape is inescapable. One is surrounded by the fields, and rocks, and ocean, and sky in such an intimate way. This is not a region of grand vistas but of close framed points of view. The clouds limit visibility. The town is nestled down by the water with the hills all around.

It is easy to say that the textiles are inspired by the landscape. That piece of marketing isn't new. You honestly feel it here though. Nothing is just one color. All things natural and man made have a weathered worn-in quality. They have been beaten up and mixed together. The edges aren't necessarily rounded but the minerals have leached out and reacted with each other.

I am excited to be here and to have the opportunity to design using these traditional materials. In the woolen industry as in a great many others there is a balance to be struck between maintaining a connection with history and responding to the demands of the modern world.