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- Déana Kelly Morrissey
Déana
Kelly Morrissey
Cróga
My Graduate Collection Cróga, which is the Irish word for Brave, is inspired by the Sharon Owens poem “Dangerous Coats”. The poem is about women’s rights where women were not allowed to have pockets in their clothes in case they “carried leaflets to spread sedition”. Although women’s involvement in the 1916 Rising was never fully documented, Countess Constance Markievicz was a renowned female rebel, a perfect embodiment of a strong female who never compromised her beliefs and was herself arrested in 1919 for giving a “seditious speech”. My aim was to create a womenswear collection for A-W 22/23 using a combination of stand work and innovative pattern cutting. After investigating the history of pockets, I learned the shocking size differences in menswear pockets and womenswear which is an issue I have addressed in my collection by incorporating extra-large pocket bags and hidden pockets concealed in the garments. The silhouette was inspired by my Grandfathers American Army jacket from the 1960s and the curved shapes of my fathers hunting guns. Through innovative pattern cutting this collection features relaxed tailoring, sleek, elegant designs with print applications of writings of Markievicz’s letters and speeches contained in the linings and pockets.