This page regularly features new names in Irish fashion and the latest to attract attention is Liam Grier. Aged just 24 and still a student at the Limerick School of Art and Design, Grier won first prize at the Taispeantas na Sionainne design show in Athlone last month.
It was a well-deserved award as he combines ambition and enthusiasm with an exceptionally well-developed eye for colour and line. From Ramelton, Co Donegal, Grier studied first in Derry before moving to Limerick where last year he received a distinction for his diploma in fashion design. At the moment, he is participating in an enterprise programme aimed to help graduates start their own businesses. Once this is concluded, he will definitely be a talent to watch over the next few years. Grier's seductive and subtly-hued pieces are yet further proof that Ireland's knitwear industry is moving away from the traditional loose-fitting Aran sweater. Instead, his designs show more affinity with the work of Lainey Keogh, sharing a similar awareness of the body beneath the garment.
He works mostly in linen, but one of the dresses photographed is in a synthetic fibre called ilaira which helps to give the item in question additional cling and sensuality. In addition, the clothes tend to have elaborate patterns woven into them, giving each piece more surface interest than is usually the case. In this respect, Grier's work is reminiscent of that produced by young Welshman Julien MacDonald: immediately after graduation, MacDonald was spotted by Karl Lagerfeld who commissioned pieces for Chanel. Thanks to new fibre technology, knitwear is currently undergoing something of a revolution and Liam Grier is perfectly placed to take advantage of this. His method of work reflects the exciting possibilities now available to every designer. Essentially, Grier spends the greatest amount of time creating a specific computer programme for each garment. Once the programme has been given to the knitting machine, he can do little but wait and see what is produced. So he had to design one of the dresses in his first collection twice its eventual size because the fibre used tends to pull itself tight like an elastic band. Initially, working on computer can pose a much greater challenge than simply picking up a pair of knitting needles. Eventually, however, the results are proportionately more rewarding. Grier plans to have his autumn/winter 1998 collection ready by next February and will then start to look for commercial outlets both in this country and overseas. Finding buyers for knitwear of this calibre ought not to be a problem. Retailers should start booking appointments to see the work ahead of their competitors.
Liam Grier may be contacted at 088-2712719.