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- Rosemary O’Connor
Rosemary
O’Connor
"Fallen Angels"
The collection “Fallen Angels” emerged from the intimate and often uncomfortable dialogue between place, history, and lived experience. Studying within the Limerick School of Art and Design campus on Clare Street—once a Magdalene Laundry and Mother and Baby Home—has made it impossible for me to separate creative practice from the weight of the building’s past
Working within this building means constantly confronting a rigid standard of womanhood defined by strict Catholic values. As someone who has experienced sexual assault and struggles with mental health; I am acutely aware that only a few decades ago, this exact site could have been my inevitable destination- not as a student, but as one marked “Fallen”.
The collection responds to this history through form and restraint. Silhouettes draw directly from the architecture of the site. Garments are intentionally modest and conservative, limiting the expression of the individual wearer. They obscure rather than reveal, flattening identity and resisting personal distinction. In doing so, they reference the regulations imposed upon the women once confined here, whose individuality was systematically erased.
Digital software was always present in the design process, creating a significant juxtaposition within the work. While the collection references a neglectful system rooted in restriction, digital design allowed for limitless experimentation, manipulation, and creative freedom.
COLONII
COLONII aims to serve as a medium for deeper engagement by embracing a deliberate departure from human resemblance. The brand’s perspective of creating autonomous avatars; challenges societal norms, fostering identity and embodying the seismic cultural shift of humanities new era with AI and technology.
I was given the avatar SOFIA, the customer profile I created for her catagorised her as young, independent and adventerous in both life and her sense of style. The theme for SOFIA was dark and dramatic, with my primary research consisting mostly of the opulent “Stile Liberty” streetlights I passed on my Erasmus in Palermo, Sicily.
The distinctive cast-iron lamp posts found throughout Palermo were originally designed in the 1920’s; the hooves on streetlights refer to the city’s history of horse-drawn carriage adorned with the city’s classic baroque architecture. The concept reflected my own independent Erasmus journey represented by the iron-strong, animalistic symbol that demanded space all over the city.
Illustrator - Trends Project
Finally, I have included an illustrator project focused on trend forcasting in a digital landscape. Trends currently have a short life cycle that can reach large audiences instantly with the vast visual communication skills of the internet. This project demonstrates the routine steps we have practised when designing a collection, even if the collection remains digital. In illustrator we justify our design choices with process boards, consisting of trend researching, colour-way forecasting, fabric currating, establishing design features, etc.
A CAD is a Computer-Aided Design Drawing, here you can see my digitally drawn designs in a flat, 2-dimensional representation. Within these projects we practise drawing front and back views of garments in preparation for industry standard. It is this standard of fashion illustration than can then be brought to AI enhancing softwares like The Fabricant. These drawings are also seen commenly in Tech-packs; as they are clear universal drawings that can be understood by manufacturers globally.