As a child I was fascinated by fabrics and the magic that surrounded them. Growing up around my parents clothing factory was like taking part in an interactive magic show. I travelled with Mum and Dad to international Trade Fairs from an early age, eagerly listening to textile merchants enthusiastically showing my parents their latest collections.

“I was hooked!”

Weeks later, chosen fabrics would arrive and so the magic would begin. Quickly rolled out in the cutting room by the ‘first magicians’, patterns were laid down, drawn around, cut out, then passed to the next magicians ‘the machinists’. Like a well orchestrated piece of music, before long the fabric was transformed into clothes and ready to be sent out to retailers.

By the time I was 7 yrs old, I was desperate to become a magician myself. So began my journey, sewing on industrial machines with the other ladies on school holidays. As the years followed, I began studying my craft ‘officially’, attending the Grafton Academy at just 12yrs for summer courses in Pattern cutting. Upon completing a 4 year Degree in Fashion and Textiles at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Dublin I gained further experience in international design studios, working alongside John Galliano’s pattern cutter Bill Gayton. Working my way through the different departments, from cutting room, factory floor to design studio from such an early age was invaluable to my education in the industry.