Bebhinn the City
Below is a piece I did on Irish designer Beibhinn Flood.
Bebhinn Flood Design Facebook Page.
Bebhinn the City
Perched on the top floor of Dublin's illustrious Powerscourt Townhouse Centre is the stylish Loft Market. Described as 'A slice of New York city in Dublin' by stylist and Irish Independent fashion writer Angela Scanlon, this minimalist haven is a mishmash of colours and textures complete with comfy couches and wooden floorboards. Swiftly establishing itself as a firm favourite among fashion junkies since 2006, the Loft Market is a treasure trove of home grown fashion, jewellery and art from some of the most gifted style innovators in Ireland.
Marking her corner in the Loft, in every way, is Wicklow born fashion designer Bebhinn Flood, affectionately known as Bev. In August 2009, Bev made a lasting impression in the Irish fashion world showcasing her Spring/Summer 2010 collection at the Fashion Breakthrough Uprising event. Her juxtaposition of bold patterns and quirky embellishment are a breath of fresh air to those frequenting the Loft, and she says she is no stranger to hearing "Oh brilliant! Something different!" The ability to create something unique and exclusive is what inspires Bebhinn. She likes to dress those who know their own style and don’t follow the pack. And she loves to be able to tell customers, "Well, there's only eight of those made so you’re one of the lucky eight to get it!"
Bebhinn's vintage-meets-contemporary display is a pleasure for the senses, complete with lilac vanity dresser, well-travelled suitcases and swan-necked mannequin heads adorned with striking headpieces. Each rail is filled with designs in an array of lavish textures, rich colours and bold patterns. And overlooking the whole floor is a handmade azure blue lamb's wool neckpiece, one of Bev's signature creations, which are limited in number due to each one taking a week to craft and produce.
We are sitting on a large windowsill just outside the Loft, accessorised with a plump pink cushion, a hue that almost matches the Loft Market logo itself. People saunter by on the creaky floorboards enjoying their Friday afternoon, while down below in the centre of Dublin‟s historic townhouse friends are in view, catching up over coffee. Bev is affable, her auburn hair and warm smile elude charm, attributes fundamental to each of her designs.
While Bev's pieces draw inspiration from various different elements, notably nature and her love of photography; sometimes all it takes is a striking fabric and she takes it from there. "A lot of the time, if I see a fabric I love I'll get it, and then I'll work out what I can make from that..." Bev smiles and nods thoughtfully. "But for some of my more couture pieces I'll go to trend forecasting, and sometimes I'll be inspired by that. A lot of nature too and I'm into photography and sometimes I'll use that as inspiration." While Bev doesn't have a lot of free time to see the city, she is an avid fan of the Museum of Modern Art. "I feel really creative after visiting!" she says, eyes lit up. "I go home and I want to paint everything!"
From the time of her earliest memories Bebhinn recalls keeping her hands busy by colouring and making crafts. It is her mother, however, who she credits for her career choice in fashion. Her mother once owned her own kids wear label, 'Dickery Dock' and always dressed Bev in quirky outfits. "I definitely got the interest from my Mum. She's a really creative woman and was a total hippie…!" she laughs. "I loved dressing up in her dresses and she had me stylish from a very early age; she would put arm warmers as legwarmers on me and that kind of stuff."
While Bev now happily displays her creative flair on her own two feet in the Loft Market each weekend, she recalls starting out in the industry. Soon after graduating with an honours
degree in fashion design from the Limerick Institute of Technology in 2004, she worked in the rag trade at Leo Fashions in Dublin city before striking out on her own. "Leo Fashions was the likes of your Michael H. and all those brands for the older clientele…" muses Bebhinn. "You have your suit jackets and trousers and skirts so it wasn't very creative so being able to launch myself somewhere like the Loft has been amazing, it's a great platform.
I've been able to do my own thing, work with people so I'm not on my own and shops have come in and ordered from me here from seeing my stuff which is just great".
Bev also had the amazing opportunity to work side to side with John Rocha; one of Ireland's internationally acclaimed designers. Bebhinn smiles and laughs when talking of her memories of working with Rocha, mentioning one of the designer's weaknesses. "It was an amazing opportunity. He is a lovely man. Quiet, but lovely and is obsessed with chocolate!
He used to love me; I would bring in chocolate tarts for him." It is then discovered that Bebhinn expresses her love of making things through another hobby – working as a chef. She worked part time as a chef for nine years in a vegetarian restaurant called 'Escape' in Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Although Bev has strongly established herself in the industry, like other designers she is noticing the change in her trade brought on by the much discussed economic climate. She is aware of consumers adopting a more cost conscious approach, which can prove difficult for such an avid fan of luxurious fabrics. "I definitely have to be price aware. I use a lot of silks and the price of that keeps going up and I do a lot of commission pieces. If customers are looking for cheaper pieces I can't use silks or embellishment. Shops always want their wholesale prices to be really cheap and it's quite difficult to do it at a cheaper price for them." She says. Its Irish made and its cottage industry so I keep trying to tell them this isn't mass produced, there are limited numbers so you have to sell it on that end. But a lot of them are doing sale and return now, which is expensive for me but at least pieces feature in a
number of places."
Bebhinn personifies raw talent with her range of skills and proven creativity. There is an air of "no fear" and a readiness to tackle what may come; all traits which ensure a future lengthy and successful career. What's next, she is trying her hand at creating an online presence to showcase her work, with a website in production and a Facebook page at the ready. We leave her with the hope that silk prices will steady and that small limit to her limitless creativity will fall away and we can continue to see her work escalate and delight in the historic surroundings of Powerscourt Townhouse.
Below is a piece I did on Irish designer Beibhinn Flood.
Bebhinn Flood Design Facebook Page.
Perched on the top floor of Dublin's illustrious Powerscourt Townhouse Centre is the stylish Loft Market. Described as 'A slice of New York city in Dublin' by stylist and Irish Independent fashion writer Angela Scanlon, this minimalist haven is a mishmash of colours and textures complete with comfy couches and wooden floorboards. Swiftly establishing itself as a firm favourite among fashion junkies since 2006, the Loft Market is a treasure trove of home grown fashion, jewellery and art from some of the most gifted style innovators in Ireland.
Marking her corner in the Loft, in every way, is Wicklow born fashion designer Bebhinn Flood, affectionately known as Bev. In August 2009, Bev made a lasting impression in the Irish fashion world showcasing her Spring/Summer 2010 collection at the Fashion Breakthrough Uprising event. Her juxtaposition of bold patterns and quirky embellishment are a breath of fresh air to those frequenting the Loft, and she says she is no stranger to hearing "Oh brilliant! Something different!" The ability to create something unique and exclusive is what inspires Bebhinn. She likes to dress those who know their own style and don’t follow the pack. And she loves to be able to tell customers, "Well, there's only eight of those made so you’re one of the lucky eight to get it!"
Bebhinn's vintage-meets-contemporary display is a pleasure for the senses, complete with lilac vanity dresser, well-travelled suitcases and swan-necked mannequin heads adorned with striking headpieces. Each rail is filled with designs in an array of lavish textures, rich colours and bold patterns. And overlooking the whole floor is a handmade azure blue lamb's wool neckpiece, one of Bev's signature creations, which are limited in number due to each one taking a week to craft and produce.
We are sitting on a large windowsill just outside the Loft, accessorised with a plump pink cushion, a hue that almost matches the Loft Market logo itself. People saunter by on the creaky floorboards enjoying their Friday afternoon, while down below in the centre of Dublin‟s historic townhouse friends are in view, catching up over coffee. Bev is affable, her auburn hair and warm smile elude charm, attributes fundamental to each of her designs.
While Bev's pieces draw inspiration from various different elements, notably nature and her love of photography; sometimes all it takes is a striking fabric and she takes it from there. "A lot of the time, if I see a fabric I love I'll get it, and then I'll work out what I can make from that..." Bev smiles and nods thoughtfully. "But for some of my more couture pieces I'll go to trend forecasting, and sometimes I'll be inspired by that. A lot of nature too and I'm into photography and sometimes I'll use that as inspiration." While Bev doesn't have a lot of free time to see the city, she is an avid fan of the Museum of Modern Art. "I feel really creative after visiting!" she says, eyes lit up. "I go home and I want to paint everything!"
From the time of her earliest memories Bebhinn recalls keeping her hands busy by colouring and making crafts. It is her mother, however, who she credits for her career choice in fashion. Her mother once owned her own kids wear label, 'Dickery Dock' and always dressed Bev in quirky outfits. "I definitely got the interest from my Mum. She's a really creative woman and was a total hippie…!" she laughs. "I loved dressing up in her dresses and she had me stylish from a very early age; she would put arm warmers as legwarmers on me and that kind of stuff."
While Bev now happily displays her creative flair on her own two feet in the Loft Market each weekend, she recalls starting out in the industry. Soon after graduating with an honours
degree in fashion design from the Limerick Institute of Technology in 2004, she worked in the rag trade at Leo Fashions in Dublin city before striking out on her own. "Leo Fashions was the likes of your Michael H. and all those brands for the older clientele…" muses Bebhinn. "You have your suit jackets and trousers and skirts so it wasn't very creative so being able to launch myself somewhere like the Loft has been amazing, it's a great platform.
I've been able to do my own thing, work with people so I'm not on my own and shops have come in and ordered from me here from seeing my stuff which is just great".
Bev also had the amazing opportunity to work side to side with John Rocha; one of Ireland's internationally acclaimed designers. Bebhinn smiles and laughs when talking of her memories of working with Rocha, mentioning one of the designer's weaknesses. "It was an amazing opportunity. He is a lovely man. Quiet, but lovely and is obsessed with chocolate!
He used to love me; I would bring in chocolate tarts for him." It is then discovered that Bebhinn expresses her love of making things through another hobby – working as a chef. She worked part time as a chef for nine years in a vegetarian restaurant called 'Escape' in Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Although Bev has strongly established herself in the industry, like other designers she is noticing the change in her trade brought on by the much discussed economic climate. She is aware of consumers adopting a more cost conscious approach, which can prove difficult for such an avid fan of luxurious fabrics. "I definitely have to be price aware. I use a lot of silks and the price of that keeps going up and I do a lot of commission pieces. If customers are looking for cheaper pieces I can't use silks or embellishment. Shops always want their wholesale prices to be really cheap and it's quite difficult to do it at a cheaper price for them." She says. Its Irish made and its cottage industry so I keep trying to tell them this isn't mass produced, there are limited numbers so you have to sell it on that end. But a lot of them are doing sale and return now, which is expensive for me but at least pieces feature in a
number of places."
Bebhinn personifies raw talent with her range of skills and proven creativity. There is an air of "no fear" and a readiness to tackle what may come; all traits which ensure a future lengthy and successful career. What's next, she is trying her hand at creating an online presence to showcase her work, with a website in production and a Facebook page at the ready. We leave her with the hope that silk prices will steady and that small limit to her limitless creativity will fall away and we can continue to see her work escalate and delight in the historic surroundings of Powerscourt Townhouse.
♥ ♥ ♥
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