Kieran Flaherty

At the heart of Kieran’s studio practice is a design ethos that is driven by combining traditional textile techniques with contemporary production methodologies. His design collections explore the synergy between creative process and production, enabling him to push design boundaries and deliver fashion and textile outcomes that have an innovative, futurist aesthetic, whilst maintaining a relationship with craftmanship and traditional artistry. These values place Kieran’s collections amongst contemporary fashion designers who are utilising fashion as a method of progression – whether that be of the body, inspiration or the use of unconventional or non-traditional materials.

Drawing inspiration from a range of cultural, natural and architectural sources, Kieran has applied a research and development process that undertakes multiple stages to interrogate initial research within a 2D and 3D context. Photography work is used as initial inspiration, which is then reinterpreted digitally via CAD programs, or by hand through various drawing and manipulation techniques. This process allows Kieran to identify areas which could be developed further and apply hierarchical value to his work based on which has more potential to be successfully developed.

Translating drawing into material prototypes continues to inspire and innovate Kieran’s design process. This is highly influenced by designers such as Iris Van Herpen, Alexander McQueen and Issey Miyake, all of which inspire Kieran with their application of contemporary technology and unconventional materials within their collections. From this point, a lot of Kieran’s inspiration is derived from the creative process and the exploration of materials. He is encouraged to push the limits of the materials at his disposal, creating hybrids which combine the attributes he feels necessary to effectively translate ideas and perform in the required manner. This exploration develops into a cycle of production and self-reflection, with each step being influenced by the previous and informing the next until the process and material are perfected within the context of the garment and how he wants them to look and behave.

Kieran’s current collection, titled ‘Transient Bodies’, has been inspired by the theme of transience – the temporary transitionary phase between one state and another. Initial inspiration came from researching the online model Imma.Gram – a virtual being who is a combination of a physical person and digital superimposition, the graphic work of Bridget Riley and kinetic sculptures developed by Nick Cave. The combination of the optical phenomena found within both bodies of work when combined with fashion, and the concept provided by Imma.Gram, was an avenue Kieran was keen to develop and explore. Inhabiting the space between fantasy and reality, physical and digital, natural and synthetic is something that has only just began to be explored within the realms of fashion. Kieran wants to continue development of the continuous dialogue between fashion and technology as more methods of creation and materials are created and the way in which fashion is presented and consumed continues to change.

The resulting collection is an exploration of pattern and illusory artistic techniques to inform textile and silhouette forms. Working specifically with polyester based materials and plastics, techniques such as sublimation printing and mediums such a bemis, provided colour and bonding opportunities that created complimentary materials to Kieran’s design concepts. This process of working has resulted in the development of the ‘living hinge’ method of fabric manipulation. Where Kieran has used laser cutting techniques to apply a complex series of pattern explorations, adjusting variables such as line distance, length and shape, to create flexible materials that distort the figure and mislead the eye as they are worn, adapting to the wearers movement.

Innovation, material research and application drive Kieran’s design process.  His undergraduate research focused on the application of varying smart materials, such as thermochromic dyes, and the application of 3D printing and laser technology within the textile and fashion industries. His master’s study has enabled him to continue this research and explore the application of relevant synthetic materials, combined with contemporary design and fabrication processes to be explored and enhanced within a fashion context. This interest has extended to how these processes can be applied at a haute couture and high street level and Kieran has constructed archival catalogues of his material development, investigations, fabric prototyping, manipulation techniques and printing specifications to accompany his design outcomes. Kieran’s long-term goal is to continue his research into material development, challenging the ways in which the industry views and expands upon the ideas of conventional materials within contemporary fashion design. Fashion, as an industry, must become more sustainable and Kieran has attempted throughout the generation of his collection to make choices which have the least detrimental effects to our environment. Further work still needs to be done in this regard and this dialogue will be a permanent feature of his design process as he progresses throughout his career, gaining experience working for like-minded fashion houses before launching his own brand which sees his own visions brought to life on the runway, whatever that may look like in the future.