Take the stressing out of dressing
Unstructured separates that can be mixed and matched are at the core of Naya’s brand, which uses a personal approach to achieve a relaxed attitude BY ROSE MARY ROCHE
aya – an Irish fashion brand celebrating its tenth birthday this year – is a lifestyle range of unstructured, soft and fluid separates that make dressing simple and stress-free. Versatility, simplicity and understatement were the core principles when Lynda Heather – the daughter of Michael Heather, who founded Michael H, once a stalwart of the Irish fashion scene – decided to try something different to traditional collections of the past.
While the vibe is easy yet contemporary, there is close attention paid to fit, design detail and fabrication. Meticulously designed and developed by Heather and designer Helen Wheeler, who are equally passionate and proud of the range, Naya is grounded in their personal approach to fashion and how they dress themselves. For example, they personally try on all styles to ensure they are happy with the fit and proportions.
Lynda, who attended St Martin’s College in the 1970s before returning to work in her family business, could see by the 2010s that how women were dressing was changing. Their lives were now busy and multifaceted while their style was remaining youthful, even as they got older. She realised that the formality was gradually leaving women’s clothing and being replaced with a relaxed attitude influenced by sportwear, creative layering and an appreciation for pieces that could transcend seasons and be worn in many different ways.
Fashion was loosening up and becoming more individual. Clothes not only had to look good, they also had to be comfortable and capable of taking a woman through a multitude. As a result, there is mechanical stretch in almost all pieces, so that the clothes move with the body.
While many European and American brands were already successfully creating ranges with this aesthetic and sense of ease, no Irish brand was – so Lynda decided that she would. Naya was the fruit of that impulse. The name suitably