The Irish Grown Wool Council is set to hold a panel talk at Showcase Ireland in the RDS, Dublin on tomorrow (January 19) on how contemporary Irish designers are using the material in their creations.

This year’s Showcase Ireland, in collaboration with the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland, has chosen ‘Making Irish Stories’ as its theme.

In this conversation, which will take place at 3:00p.m on Monday, three emerging Irish designers will share how they work with local and natural materials to create sustainable, culturally rooted products that connect with consumers.

Showcase is one of Ireland’s largest international trade shows. The annual event is attended by thousands of buyers from across the world, including Ireland, UK, mainland Europe, US, Asia, and Africa, generating millions of euros of sales orders during the show every year. 

The panel talk will feature Aoife McNamara, Niamh Ní Catháin, and Conor O'Brien.

McNamara is the first Irish B Corp fashion brand, which means it has been certified as meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency.

Her recently launched collection, ‘What The World Wears’, celebrates Irish-grown wool while emphasising traceability and sustainability.

According to the Irish Grown Wool Council, avoiding textile waste is central to her design process and she works closely with Irish suppliers with "care and intention".

Ní Catháin is a textile designer and researcher whose work centres on weaving and local fibre systems, including wool, flax and experimental bio-yarns.

The organisers said: "She blends craft traditions with forward-thinking material science.

"Through embodied making and community collaboration, she explores how textiles can reconnect people, place and ecological care.

O'Brien's luxury Irish-grown wool knitwear brand "puts a twist on traditional Aran knitting", and is "strictly hand-knit, championing traditional craft, ethical production and transparency", according to the organisers.

"He aims to conserve Ireland’s rich textile heritage by creating clothing that offers dignity to the garment worker with fair pay, respect to the environment with natural fibres and regard to the wearer with a unique style that aims to stand the test of time, rejecting the fast-fashion industry of today," they said.

The panel will be moderated by Alison Gault, professor of regenerative textiles and fashion at Belfast School of Art and internationally renowned designer.

A member of the Irish Grown Wool Council and UK Design Council expert, her career spans woven and knitted textiles, sustainable material research and leadership in textile innovation.

All participants will "share their insights on material sourcing, sustainable processes and the ambitions driving Ireland’s next generation of design talent".

"Whether you’re a buyer, maker or design professional, be inspired by how these designers are shaping a more regenerative future for Irish grown textiles from source to studio," the organisers said.