Irish jewellery designer feels the ‘Kate effect’
WE read about the ‘Kate effect’ nearly every day – whatever Ms Middleton wears sells out.
This spells massive success for the largest of global fashion brands – but for one independent jewellery maker in Galway, it has been life-changing.
Last month, the Duchess of Cambridge was photographed wearing a delicate necklace by Irish designer Aisling O’Brien, the creative talent behind All The Falling Stars.
The personalised necklace was engraved with the letters ‘G, L, C’ in honour of her children, George, seven, Charlotte, five, and Louis, two.
Ms O’Brien explained that her necklace came to be worn by Kate after she was asked to make her a gift when she and Prince William visited Knocknacarra GAA club in Salthill in March. ‘I had no time to order any supplies, I just had to work with what I had,’ she said.
‘So I researched her style and looked through pictures of the kind of pieces she would normally wear.
‘I had to finish it on Friday night because I couldn’t sleep – I was too excited. I just stayed up making it. So I made the necklace and then the earrings were a bit of an afterthought really, because the l i ttle hammer disk that I made for the necklace, I used them for the hammer disk earrings.
‘So I thought, “Oh I’ll just pop a pair of earrings in with it”.’
When she saw Kate wearing the pieces, she had no idea what was about to happen. ‘It was actually on EVOKE where I first saw the news. That was the most exciting moment ever, I can’t describe it in words.
‘Nothing could have prepared me for the response. I have orders from literally every corner of the world.
‘Before this, I had literally sold two pieces outside of Ireland. It would have been mostly Galway people buying through my website and then suddenly – boom!
‘The pictures came out on the Wednesday night and my website crashed completely.
‘Since then orders have been pouring in.’
Maki n g jewellery had previously been a part-time job for Aisling, but she is now going to make it her full-time career to keep up with orders.
‘Of all the people to wear my little designs, it’s changed my life,’ she concluded.
‘I couldn’t sleep, so I stayed up making it’