Coolly conscious
Two Bulgarian entrepreneurs are behind a new online marketplace for sustainable fashion. Kool and Konscious sells work by 28 designers with new brands added every week in both mens and womenswear from the UK, US, Portugal, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Bulgaria and Kenya. Prices quoted in sterling are from £25-£500.
All supplier information is provided, allowing for complete transparency for every piece. Unfortunately no Irish sustainable brands are included, though shipping is free to this country.
Founders Eva Vucheva and Boryana Uzunova will be speaking at the Drapers Sustainable Fashion 2020 summit on March 11th in London.
koolandkonscious.com
Fringe benefit
There's a touch of the wild west in the latest collection from River Island (who take on an Irish graduate from NCAD every year). Fringing is a feature on long-line coats and on faux leather cropped blazers, which, along with maxi shirt dresses, frilled long-sleeved knits and prairie blouses, offer a grungy take on cowgirl style. Wear them with barrel-leg jeans, slouch boots and a classic fedora.
riverisland.ie
Woolly thinking
One of my favourite coats is by Magee in a satin-lined herringbone wool tweed, worn again and again with different combinations. Magee's newest collection for women has a coat in dusty pink and cream herringbone made in soft wool cashmere, and another more flared coat in blue. For men, there are linen suits for summer weddings – jackets and drawstring trousers – as well as handwoven Donegal tweed gilets. In September, Magee will be launching an ambitious Irish wool project using wool spun in Donegal and woven in their mill.
magee1866.com
The Stylebob
Aoife Duncan is the brains behind Stylebob, a personal styling service with an Instagram following of more than 3,000. With a clientele all over the world, the Dublin-based image consultant, blogger and stylist is a popular event speaker for corporate bodies and women's networks, with her belief in the power of wearing colour. A branding expert with a large corporation for over 15 years, she now works independently advising women on making the most of their appearance and enhancing confidence.
Follow her on Instagram @thestylebob
A date for the diary
On Sunday March 8th in the Chocolate Factory, fashion designer Peter O'Brien is giving a talk on his 10 favourite films and the inspiration he has drawn from them. One of Ireland's top fashion and costume designers, O'Brien is a longtime movie fan with strong views and opinions. Well known for his work in Paris with Christian Dior, Givenchy, Chloe and at Rochas where he was creative director for 12 years, his theatre work in Dublin has included costumes for numerous productions at the Gate and Abbey theatres. The talk takes place at 2pm and is part of Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival.
diff.ie
