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INSPIRED by Hazelwood in her home town, fashion designer Jade Reidy has taken her love of creativity and turned it into a career.
‘ Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak’ and this could not ring more true for this fashionista. Jade first did a foundation course in Art and Design in Derry before completing a degree in Textiles, Fashion and Design with Business Management with St Angela’s College.
Hanging proudly in her wardrobe is the first piece she ever created: a black satin A- line skirt with a hot pink waistband, not very fashionable Jade admits, but for her it was all about the learning process.
She draws inspiration from nature, photography, memories or a story but tells me inspiration can come from the smallest of things. “My graduate collection was inspired by the colours and textures in the woods. I used Hazel wood in Sligo as the centre of my design process,” she says.
The creative process to design a piece of work can take anything from a few days up to a few weeks and it varies on each individual piece as Jade explains:“I would begin to research a concept to get ideas flowing. I love interesting surface qualities and sampling different fabrics that tie in and relate to the story of the collection.“When I am satisfied with the sample garment I begin with the real pieces. It’s hard to say how many hours work go into one piece as it depends on the process whether it be hand dying, fabric manipulation, embellishment and so on. Finishing a garment always takes longer than expected as you have to make sure everything is perfect!”
At the age of only 24 her designs have been making waves in the Irish Fashion Industry as she was a finalist in the Irish Fashion Innovation Awards 2016 with Blogger, Model and Social Influencer Pippa O’Connor posting a picture of Jade’s design to her social media. “That moment always sticks out in my mind, it was very exciting.”
Last December the first ever Sligo Fashion Trail allowed Jade to show- case her Graduate Collection in her hometown while also working with models from the Catwalk Modelling agency.
“I would love to see more fashion events happening in Sligo; usually you have to travel to events in Dublin or Galway,” says Jade.
John Rocha, a Hong Kong born Designer based in Dublin who has an internationally known label is someone who Jade looks up to. “I look up to designers who run their businesses fromIreland,” says Jade.
While the fashion industry can be ‘ every man for themselves’ what advice has Jade to offer those interested in Fashion and Design? “Make sure it is something you are passionate about. It takes up a lot of your time and in College the hours are long.”
The future looks bright forJade. “I would love for people to become familiar with my name. I hope to get working with a design team for a brand or label. This would be invaluable experience and it will hopefully give me the chance to explore other areas of the fashion industry.” Check out Jade’s work at: www. jadereidydesign. wordpress. com