Irish Design Spotlight: Clare O’Connor

Tell us about you and your brand
My name is Clare O’Connor and I am a multi-disciplinary artist and designer from Co. Meath. I have a luxury brand of wearable art which I launched six years. I have exhibited in Ireland, Germany, the UK, Philadelphia and Venice. My work is highly intuitive, and my paintings use a dynamic interplay of organic and organised forms, complimentary and contrasting colour, stripes and mark-making. I love using vivid colours clashed with patterns and stripes, multiple layers and juxtaposed shapes – my aim is to create movement and a sense of positive energy creating vibrant visual labyrinths your eyes are drawn in to explore. My work is very tactile, multi-dimensional, energetic and dynamic and I use my paintings as the direct inspiration for all my wearable art.

What is your mission?
I am a reiki master and I am hugely into self-development, finding and following our own unique path and accessing and fostering the creativity we all have innately. I want to create art and a brand that really empowers us to be ourselves, uplifts and excites us making us feel more positive and aligned and aware of all the infinite possibilities we are connected to every day. I want my work to impart joy and just make people feel good.

Did you always know you wanted to be a designer?
I always wanted to be an artist but I started off studying graphic design. I worked as a graphic designer for a few years but really hated it so I went back to college to study painting, printmaking and photography in my late 20s which I adored. I experimented a lot and for my final year I created three large-scale paintings and a series of small-scale works – that’s really where my style started to come together. When I graduated I moved to Berlin and I had an opportunity to work as an artist assistant to a few different Artists which gave me a great insight into the working studio of two very successful artists. I did large-scale printing with Thomas Kilpper on his State of Control Project and I painted for Anselm Reyle. I then had an opportunity to move to Venice. I fell in love with the city and I created a huge body of work while I was living there. It was while living in Venice that I decided to create my own eponymous brand of wearable art. I wanted to create a long-term sustainable living for myself using all my skills & my art practice so that I could continue to practice as an artist. It was during this time that I visited Como and I started sampling different fabrics and testing different manufacturers. I got my first samples in 2015. In 2017, I decided to return home to Ireland. I launched my brand at Showcase in January 2018.

What kind of items do you stock?
My very first collection was a range of 20 designs in 100% silk and modal/cashmere. As I have a strong design background, I have developed all aspects of my brand myself from the packaging I use, to my website design and where I sell my products. Since launching, I have been fine tuning and developing and expanding my collections over the past six years. To bring continuity and a strong sense of my art to my brand, I developed a brand signature across all my collections very early on.

I first started out with my double-sided striped twills and my striped hand-rolled edge scarves in my second collection in 2019. I’ve since brought a contrast stripe to my bamboo cushions, masks during Covid, my wool/silk and bamboo ranges, tote bags, umbrellas, dresses and my newly launched kimonos so that they are instantly elevated and recognisable. I use a striped hand-rolled edge, striped frayed edge and reverse stripe on all my scarves and I have brought those design details across to my clothing, accessories, homewares and umbrella ranges too. These design details bring a luxurious and unique twist to my accessories and make the finishes and edges more exquisite.

Recently, I have been further developing my eco-friendly umbrella range and I will be launching a new style and a few new colourways in the coming months. I also have some new products in the pipeline so lots of exciting new things coming!

What new brands or items are on your radar?
I can’t wait to get a pair of boots and shoes by Eponyme. I also love Ejay Griffins’ new collection and Emerald & Wax’s new dresses.

Was money/funding a concern when starting out?
Yes, as an artist, I had no savings. I had been living abroad working freelance to support myself as an artist, so when I came home, I needed to get help from my family to initially launch my brand. Both my parents and my brother have greatly helped me financially in the first few years.

Best business advice you’ve gotten
Have a clear idea of what you want to do, do lots of testing first and when you are ready, just go for it. Always stay positive, keep an eye out for opportunities, aim big and stay true to yourself. You can’t go wrong when you stay true to your own voice.

Favourite fashion/design accounts you follow
I love Carla Rockmore. She’s a breath of fresh air – I adore her energy and the way she presents her clothes.

Best fashion purchase
A gold vintage mini dress with puff sleeves that I got when I was 17 in Harlequin Vintage and a pair of Erotokritos shoes I bought in Urban Outfitters in my late 20s that I literally wore till they fell apart! They were so comfortable and funky.

Other Irish brands you love
I love brands big on colour like Lilymais, Hope Macauley, Rixo, Richard Quinn, Urban Aran, Begley & Bowie, Rothlu, Sandia Dublin, Siadbh, Emerald & Wax, Ejay Griffins and Peelo.

Most useful learning since setting up a business
Depending on your business, you need to be thinking internationally very early on as Ireland is so small. I would really recommend connecting with your local arts office and Local Enterprise Office as they are a wealth of knowledge and have been incredibly supportive and helpful to me on my journey.

Proudest moment so far
I’ve had so many great moments so far, this year has been particularly fantastic. I started off the year being featured on Nationwide. More recently, seeing my work being stocked in Dublin Airport has been incredible. My 100% bamboo range and eco-friendly umbrellas are stocked in Design Ireland so they will be jet-setting off all around the world!

I want my brand to be remembered for… vibrant colour, positive feel-good energy and luxurious wearable art and accessories that will be cherished and collected for years to come.

If I could have anyone wear my designs it would be… Helena Bonham Carter. I just love her quirky sense of style and I really admire her work.

Imagery via Clare O’Connor.