Meghan has me jumper
Former model Faye is keeping an old Donegal family tradition alive making Aran knits f it for a princess
FAYE Dinsmore enjoyed a reign as one of Ireland’s most successful models. Now, nearly a decade after her first foray into the world of fashion, she is designing Aran knits fit for a princess.
Last month, the Trinity College Dublin graduate launched her inaugural collection of sweaters in Brown Thomas.
The launch coincided with the visit of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Dublin, and when word reached her that the royals were fans of her work, she made them a gift of a design each from her Donegal Knits collection.
‘I can confirm Prince Harry and Meghan received my sweaters during their visit to Ireland,’ she told the Irish Mail on Sunday.
‘For Harry, it was a navy blue Aran with royal blue flecks, and for Meghan a mustard cardigan and a traditional white Aran, but cropped and fitted.’
Faye was thrilled when she got to meet the royal couple during the garden party at the British ambassador’s residence.
‘It was a really exciting day, and I was invited to meet them at the British ambassador’s summer garden party. It’s such a bizarre concept, meeting royals. I mean, essentially, you are shaking hands and making small talk with people whose job it is to do just that.
‘Despite spending a lot of time wondering would I swap my life with Meghan, and firmly deciding a life of shaking hands and making small talk with strangers is not for me, it was hard not to get a little swept up in the royal excitement of the party.
‘The other guests were fab and it was a really great opportunity to catch up. My favourite moment was introducing Annalise Murphy [Ireland’s Olympic sailing silver medalist who is training with her housemate Katie Tingle] to [actress] Caitriona Balfe, who I first met when modelling in Paris about six years ago. As it turned out, Caitriona and Annalise had been fans of each other’s work and had chatted on Twitter but not actually met.’
The Donegal designer is married to Web Summit entrepreneur Paddy Cosgrave and they have a son called Cloud. The close-knit family all have matching sweaters. While the Aran sweater has experienced a resurgence in popularity, for Faye it is more than a love of fashion, it is rooted in her heritage.
‘A lot of work goes into making an Aran sweater. It’s highly skilled and specialised work and it was really reassuring to me to have people come specially to the store to see them. All my sweaters are hand-knit in Donegal and I’m so happy, in my small way, to be able to highlight and keep this unique Irish tradition going.
‘I grew up in Donegal, we had sheep on our farm and my grannies and aunts, and even older sisters, all knitted to supplement their income back in the day. What I do is more than just a business; it’s something very dear to me.
‘Everyone needs a good jumper and I always say you only need one as it’ll last a lifetime! I want to keep making and selling jumpers, but it’s extremely important that someone does something to keep the art of knitting going. It’s not something that is passed down any more. We need to value this tradition more, it’s part of our heritage.’
Faye is hoping the grá for the Aran sweater will pass to the next generation as she is to launch a children’s collection in BTs next week.
‘Meeting royals is such a bizarre concept’