Megan Nolan Walsh
Being Irish heavily influences Megan’s work, but she had the idea for making her Claddagh design when she lived in Norway.
Dublin-based Designer, Megan Nolan Walsh, began her career in the world of weaving. She studied textiles at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, where she began to develop her creative practice. During this time, she studied for a year at the University of Bergen, Norway, in the Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design.
Megan uses the medium of weaving to create her clothing designs, using the geometric shapes to create lush patterns that she turns into wearable pieces. She sometimes uses embroidery to add texture and vibrancy to her creations and she is inspired by bright colours, the flora and fauna and woven structures. Through her designs, Megan aims to inspire self-expression, connection, and joy.
Megan says that she wants fashion and its ability to act as a vehicle for social, environmental and political change to be spoken about more widely, ‘if people can talk about it, then I feel I'm doing something good’. Megan notes that the Irish diaspora is large and that she’s always wanted to bring her designs to people so that they have a bit of home with them when they’re away.
‘Being queer and coming from a design background, I felt there wasn't enough clothing for people of all shapes and sizes’, says Megan. As well as being a designer, Megan is also a DJ and she feels that fashion plays a massive part in the club scene. However, she feels that there aren’t enough clothes made for DJs like her that are suitable and comfortable to wear while performing. ‘That’s why I brought out my tank top collection. I’m really proud to see Irish DJs wearing my designs now’, she says.
Being Irish heavily influences Megan’s work but she had the idea for making her Claddagh design when she lived in Norway. ‘I felt so far but also so close to home’, says Megan. She highlights the similarities between Ireland and Norway, in that both countries have a lot of folklore in their design culture. Megan explains how she completed a project where she weaved a three-meter-long wall hanging of a Claddagh during her studies. This project then evolved into the scarves that Megan sells.
Megan often travels to different parts of Ireland, visiting museums and other areas that carry cultural and historical significance, to gather research and find inspiration for her designs. ‘I love Nordic design, when I went to college in Bergen, I really felt I found out what I loved. The college taught us how to be designers. I felt so inspired, I wanted to put my own twist on what I had learned – you can see that in all the vibrant colours I use’, says Megan.