Helen McAlinden casts her designer's eye on Foxford's homewares, writes Eoin Lyons
Fashion designer Helen McAlinden has been busy. She just opened her second stand-alone store, this time in Belfast, on Lisburn Road, beside Max Mara and Space NK. Apart from fashion, she has taken on the design of Foxford's homeware products. The Co Mayo rug company may be a household name, best known for blue striped blankets, but now, half a dozen new cotton bedlinen ranges, towels and bathrobes have been added to complement updated versions of the classic range.
"Foxford approached me three years ago," says McAlinden. "At first I thought they wanted me to design a touristy type range and I was going to say no way. Then it turned out they wanted to redevelop the brand."
Her starting point was a good quality brand that had little design content. Now textures are lighter, and colours are kept largely to those inspired by the landscape of the west of Ireland: greys, pinks, blues, rose and taupe are spiced with a few bright, modern shades.
"It reflects my own style: simple, elegant things that are real, not phoney. It's like clothing. Bed linen must work and feel comfortable. I think what you sleep on can be seriously life-enhancing. It's really important to have quality and comfort."
She has tried to create a homewares range that revolves around creating a "wardrobe" for a bed.
"It's about mixing and matching things in a co-ordinated way: a broad grey candy-striped duvet cover is dressed with a chambray fitted sheet, bordered pillows and a fine checked blanket; a neutral honeycomb cotton blanket with something bright. There are two looks: one is contemporary and clean; the other is softer, more feminine and looks good with Northern European painted furniture."