Grace Ní Mhealláin is a 21-year-old Irish designer from West Belfast – she is fresh off a 2-year B-TEC course in fashion, which had been her only formal experience in sewing and designing.
Balancing her work at home with a part-time job, Grace spoke to RSVP Live about her upbringing in Belfast, her relationship with the Irish language and the upcoming Fleadh Ceoil.
Speaking about her childhood and her journey with Irish identity, Grace reflected: “Being from Belfast, specifically West Belfast, I was lucky that growing up there was encouragement from my parents and my teachers to work hard and get an education. Growing up post-Good Friday Agreement, I’ve been able to reap the benefits of a mostly peaceful childhood into adulthood.”
She continued: “But Belfast is still segregated, and there are so many who face an identity crisis. I’m lucky enough to speak Gaeilge and to have grown up speaking it, which has helped my relationship with my identity in more ways than one. I use my Irish identity as a huge influence in my work.”
Grace Ní Mhealláin(Image: Michael McShane)
Starting off her business, sustainability accidentally became the forefront of her work: “Sustainability wasn’t something I was very knowledgeable on when I first started making clothes- I was a skint student who couldn’t afford to shop in fabric stores for the materials I wanted. I went to charity shops for curtains, tablecloths and sheets and I’ve never looked back. So I suppose the sustainability aspect was a very happy accident- because unless it’s for a specific project, I can almost always find what I’m looking for in a charity shop.
“I’m a perfectionist as a result of being a one-woman team, so everything is made in-studio by me. I didn’t have access to an embroidery machine, so I had no choice but to learn to embroider by hand, which is a lost art. I think people really resonate with the pieces being upcycled, and it feels good to make things that people enjoy, and that aren’t hurting the planet.”
One look at Grace’s social media will see the Irish language is a recurring theme in her work and descriptions: “I was definitely fluent when I was still in school, and I like to think I haven’t lost all of my fluency because I’d say I speak it more now than I did in education. It felt like a chore- but it’s only now that I’m appreciating how lucky I am to speak Gaeilge.”
She added: “My parents put myself and my brothers into an Irish medium Gaelscoil despite not having much Irish themselves. My grandparents always encouraged us to speak it, even though they didn’t have any Irish either, so I think I have a new appreciation for it as an adult. I try to use as much Irish as I can in my everyday life, and that just automatically transfers to my business too.”
Top by Grace Ní Mhealláin(Image: Amy Prenter)
Encouraging the use of the language, Grace said: “I want to encourage people to use their Irish or to pick up some terms. Especially within the fashion industry, when I started a few years ago, there was nobody really incorporating the two, and it was a very niche audience to try and reach.”
Speaking of future projects and dream icons to wear her pieces: “At the minute I’m working towards the Fleadh Cheoil which is in Belfast in a few weeks’ time. I’d love to do a pop-up there. That’s also a difficult question. I actually don’t have anyone in mind. This will sound biased, but there have been a few times when I’ve been out and have spotted someone wearing one of my pieces.
“It’s such a nice feeling. It feels more special because I have handmade every single item that I’ve sold. So when I see someone wearing something I spent hours and hours making, it’s so nice to know it’s being appreciated. I’d say that’s who I would love to see wearing my clothes.”
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