Join the Irish Grown Wool Council on the Inspiration Stage throughout Showcase 2024 for a series of curated panel talks on Irish wool - past, present and future. The talks will take place on each of the three days of Showcase and will focus on the key themes sustainability, fashion and innovation.
Supported by Design & Crafts Council Ireland the series of talks will host a wide range of stakeholders from academics to craftspeople, designers to farmers, wool producers to researchers, brand owners to sustainability experts. The moderator for each of the panel discussions will be Moderated by Rebecca Marsden - an acclaimed fashion designer, materials researcher and educator.
Marsden is the manager of the Forge Design Factory and a researcher at Limerick School of Art & Design, Technological University of the Shannon, TUS. She is a designer with expertise in textiles and fashion and is engaged in research for these sectors through ongoing projects with European partners. She contributes to MA Interdisciplinary Design, L9 Design for Sustainability & Circular Economies and MA Enterprise for Creative Industries at LSAD.
Marsden is a graduate of the Royal College of Art in London where she specialised in Fashion Knitwear. She has previously been selected for the Santoni Pioneer program in Shanghai and is the recipient of many awards including an IDI Award 2016 for Fashion Design, a Designer of the Year and 'Innovation Award' at the Irish Fashion Innovation Awards, the Homi Makers Design Award and a DCCI Future Makers award.
The full schedule of events can be found here and the schedule for the Irish Grown Wool events is currently as follows:
Day 1: Theme: Sustainability/ Authenticity/ Traceability/ Viability
Panel:
Claire McGovern, Creative Director, Rhyme Studio.
Alison Gault, Senior Lecturer, Fashion & Knit, Belfast School of Art, Ulster University.
Fergal Byrne, Organic Farmer & Primary Producer Representative.
Jayne Harkness-Bones, Ulster Wool, Wool Collection, Grading & Trading.
Ngaire Takano, Next Life advisor fashion & products, Wool Circular Scourer.
Sunday 21st January
Time: 2 - 3pm
Day 2: Theme: Fashion/ Design/ Homewares
Panel:
Chris Weiniger, General Manager, Donegal Yarns.
Carol Feller, Hand Knit Designer, Stolen Stitches Ltd..
Rosy Temple, CEO, Magee.
Alison Gault, Senior Lecturer, Fashion & Knit, Belfast School of Art, Ulster University.
Michael Burke, Sheep Farmer & Creator of Woolow.
Monday 22nd January
Time: 2 - 3pm
Day 3: Theme: Innovation/ Composites/ International Best Practice/ Product Development
Panel:
Zoe Daly; Ériu.
Don O’Neil; Don O’Neill Design.
Dr. Tim Yeomans; Centre Manager, Shannon ABC, Biotech Research Focused on Wool Scouring.
Eve Savage; Educational Designer, Ireland’s Knowledge Centre for Carbon, Climate & Community Action (IKC3).
Ngaire Takano, Next Life advisor fashion & products, Wool Circular Scourer.
Tuesday 23rd January
Time: 11am- 12pm 
