OUR MILLINERY STORY
about us
Saraden Designs, Millinery Atelier began in 2016 by Irish Milliner Sarah O’Rourke. Sarah is a Multi Award Winning Milliner who’s aim is to bring Millinery back to the fore front of Fashion.
We are a slow fashion brand who embrace sustainable production processes, emphasise the art of how our pieces are made and celebrate the skills involved.
Our pieces are not mass produced, they are all handmade in house by owner Sarah, she also hand makes all the fabrics used in her designs.
about sarah
Sarah creates individual, bespoke. wearable art head pieces and accessories. She is a self taught Milliner who does not follow traditional millinery methods. The label itself focuses on sustainability and it is very important to Sarah that it is recognised that she handmakes and sculpts each design herself.
She has a wide creative background and was trained classically in Visual Art Practice & Sculpture Design in I.A.D.T Dun Laoghaire, Dublin. Since finishing formal education she honed her design skills bringing together her love of textile design and sculpture to create beautiful bespoke millinery pieces.
It was in college where Sarah discovered how to craft her own fabrics and it led to a career in millinery Design. Sarah was chosen to exhibit in London Hat Week in 2016 along with a number of world wide milliners. She was again chosen to exhibit with them in 2018 and was selected to present her pieces during the official London Hat Week Press Launch. This led to Sarah showcasing her first Collection on the Runway during London Fashion Week 2018. 2022 saw Sarah chosen as a top 10 Milliner from 110 worldwide Milliners to again exhibit at London Hat Week. This time the Exhibition was in the Morley Gallery London amongst Stephen Jones Millinery who previously designed pieces for Diana Princess of Wales.
It was during 2019 where Saraden Designs won Milliner of the year in The Cointreau Hi Style Awards, which led to Sarah becoming a finalist in the Meath Style Awards 2020. Sarah has since won the Creative Professional Award with Network Ireland Meath 2021, Event Expert with The Irish Micro Business Awards 2021, Emerging Business in The Meath Business & Tourism Awards 2021, Milliner of the Year in The Cointreau HiStyle Awards 2021 and was The overall Event Expert Winner in the UK and Irish Micro Business Awards 2022, Event Expert Winner in the Irish Micro Business Awards 2022, Wedding Expert in the Meath Style Awards 2022, A Top 10 Finalist in the Irish Made Awards 2022, Runner up in The Meath Business & Tourism Awards 2022 and Milliner of the Year in The Cointreau HiStyle Awards 2022.
Sarah began Saraden Designs with a vision of creating unique millinery pieces which really capture the eye of the audience. Her work distinguishes itself with her bold, unexpected materials and colour combinations while her love of fine art sculpture is peppered throughout with the inclusion of multimedia art & craft forms such as textile design & embroidery.
The fabric
Saraden Fabric is a combination of various fibres. A selection of hand made fabrics are made inhouse by Sarah by combining various fibres together. The process itself is a trade secret as it is Sarah’s niche and what sets Saraden Designs apart from other Milliners. Once a sheet of fabric is created it cannot be replicated making each design bespoke. All cut offs are reworked back into designs leaving no waste, which is something Sarah prides herself in.
Sarah does not mass produce any of her designs whether it is a ready – made or custom design or accessory. Millinery is a craftsmanship that takes hours of intricate detail to create a design.
Wearable art is a term which has been used to describe my work and is a term I warmly welcome. With my background in sculpture it isn’t hard to see where this conclusion has been drawn from. My thesis in college was called Art vs Craft and my aim was to show that through history certain art niches were considered craft and vice versa. I believe that millinery can be art as well as craft.
I “I love that I have created a niche with my fabric and no other milliner can do what i do”
Sarah O’ Rourke
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