This article is from page 6 of the 2013-12-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
A CLARE hat maker, whose began her career as a 12 year old knitting dolls of Brian Lohan, last week sold a hat to the worlds biggest fashion icon.
Margaret O’Connor, from Tubber in the middle of the Burren, says she want to help put Irish fashion designers on the map, after Lady Gaga choose one of her hats to wear to an event in London last week.
Margaret opened her millenery business in London just six months ago and is already the talk of the town after Lady Gaga wore her creation to a public appearance at the Isabella Blow Exhibition in London last week.
It was all a far cry from hand knitted dolls of Clare hurlers in red helmets.
“It all started off with hurling. When I was 12 years old I began making little Clare men and selling them in the wool shop in Ennis. I remember I used to make so many of Brian Lohan’s red helmets – I still see those dolls around the place when I come back to Clare,” said Margaret.
“I nearly had a stroke when I heard [about Lady Gaga], I was so happy. When you make something, it’s like your child and you are putting it out to the world and all you need is for one person to like it.
“I showed that piece [that Lady Gaga wore] to lots of people and they didn’t like it. I told them to trust me, that it was a statement but they didn’t get it. That’s why it was so brilliant when someone like Lady Gaga decided to wear it. It just showed that somebody gets it.”
Margaret studied at Cluain Mhuire in Galway before continuing her fashion education in Scotland, Edinburgh and South America. Last year she worked under the watchful eye of Irish milliner Philip Treacy and worked on a number a hats for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Following last week high profile experience with Lady Gaga, Marga- ret is hoping to help Irish fashioner designers to become better know in the UK and across Europe.
“I want people to hear about Irish designers. A lot of Irish designers are not breaking through and I want to help them break through. I think there is a lot of Irish talent going under the radar in Ireland. I don’t think there is a voice for Irish designers at the moment – the struggling artist is really struggling,” she said.