Photography by Elyse Kennedy
In the studio with print and textile designer Niamh Gillespie
Print and textile designer Niamh Gillespie gives us a glimmer of her creative processes in her rural studio and inspiring beach-side home.
“Every morning when I draw the curtains, I have a huge sense of gratitude for living by the sea. Whether it be stormy or sunny, there is something so therapeutic about it and it inspires so much of my work,” says Louth-based print and textile designer Niamh Gillespie.
Her brand Tidings, as well as her “Tidal” collection of art prints, were originally inspired by sea swimming during Covid. “In 2019, while out walking on our local beach, I found a message in a bottle which then sparked the idea for me,” she says. “Tidings means another word for message and also the link to the tide, so a double meaning.”
Niamh created the brand based around this; the monogram is a take on an old wax seal bottle stamp. With fun, love and positivity at the heart of the designs, she has developed the idea into a range of sumptuously printed products, including neckerchiefs, cushions, silk pillowcases, and eye masks, which are stocked in several boutiques in the US and Ireland.
Last year, she collaborated with Naples-based cushion designer In Casa By Paboy on two printed velvet cushions with his signature ruffles, while her latest work has been with the five-star Dromoland Castle, where she was asked to develop hand-painted designs for silk scarves and limited-edition art prints for sale in their shop.
Niamh’s route into textiles and fashion was somewhat of a foregone conclusion, she says: “Fashion was basically all I ever wanted to do. My mum was an artist and a dressmaker, so she’d always pushed me to do what I love, and she always had me painting and drawing from an early age. I went to Bailieborough Community School in Cavan, and I loved my art teacher there, Priscilla Gorman, who encouraged me to go to art college.”
While studying textiles in NCAD in the early 2000s, Niamh was encouraged by her tutor, Andrew Campbell, to find a placement in her third year, so she went to London and worked for a small design studio called Circleline Design, where she was offered a job after graduation.
Niamh then spent over ten years in London working in design for brands such as Paul Smith and Topshop and designing prints for Liberty of London, Alexander McQueen, House of Hackney, Tove, and Tiba + Marl. She and her young family moved back to Ireland in 2016.
“Following the birth of our second daughter, Margot (now 9), we decided that we wanted to move out of London, where we were living in Peckham,” she says. “The idea was to be quite close to Dublin airport, as my husband was still commuting, but still in the countryside, so when we found our house along the coast of Co Louth, we fell in love with it.”
Having escaped the overwhelm of the big city, Niamh says a typical day still involves the parental juggle. “I wake up and walk my girls to the school bus with our dog, Tipsy. Some mornings I go for a run or walk on the beach, then come back and have a coffee. Every day is different, but I try to stick to my weekly planner so I don’t get sidetracked or procrastinate, which is highly likely.”
In terms of planning a collection, Niamh says she usually starts off with what theme she wants to work on and researches it through books, magazines, visiting galleries, museums, shops and looking online. “I then create mood boards and work up some rough ideas in my notebook. I will usually start painting using gouache paint, which is my favourite as it gives a very graphic yet slightly textured effect. I then work into these paintings using pen and ink to create linear shapes and stylise my work to give it an edge. I love linear qualities mixed with more painterly elements,” she says.
She then scans her designs into Photoshop and works them into scarf designs or art prints. “Here I can tweak colours, layouts and scales easily while still keeping the painterly, hand-drawn style. Finally, I send my designs to Italy to be printed on the finest silks and wools.”
When asked what important things she’s learned throughout her career, Niamh says that for her, it never feels like work.
“From an early age, all I ever wanted to do was draw and paint and to have that as your career is very special,” she says. “However, I have also learned that it is very important to network; I found all my jobs through people, friends of friends, word of mouth. For me, moving around jobs and finding lots of different experiences was key, looking back now as I made so many contacts in the industry. In fact, I do a lot of print designs for ex-colleagues who have gone on to run their own brands.”
Networking in rural Ireland can be quite isolating, so when Niamh first moved back, she joined a local print studio in Dundalk called Creative Spark, where a whole new creative world opened up to her. “This is what I was really craving when I moved back, and I’m still a member and so lucky to have such a fabulous community so close by.”
So, what’s next for Niamh? “I loved working recently with Irish manufacturer and social enterprise We Make Good on our padded silk snug collection and silk scrunchies. The quality and craftsmanship were top class, and it was so good to oversee the manufacturing process, and for it to be Irish. Building on this, I want to build a business that creates unique, timeless accessories that are produced sustainably.” Watch this space.
Photography by Elyse Kennedy.
Also Read
