Wicklow wool takes pride of place at Bloom’s Design and Crafts Village

Wicklow

Anouk O'Connell, of Olannmor.

Celebrating all things outdoor living, gardening and creativeness, Wicklow's Frederique van Buuren and Anouk O’Connell of Olannmor pride themselves on working with only chunky, natural Wicklow wool.

"Living in the Wicklow Mountains makes scenery our biggest inspiration," they say, with one of their main priorities being "to only craft with natural materials so that we can look after our planet whilst creating our beautiful products."

The duo were among 33 of Ireland's most creative craft brands showcasing their wares at the Design and Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) Irish Craft Village at Bord Bia Bloom, which took place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin over the June Bank Holiday weekend.

The exhibitors were chosen across a range of counties and disciplines. Over 90 small businesses responded to the Design and Crafts Council's call out for exhibitors earlier this year and following a rigorous selection process, places were offered to 33 businesses, including the Wicklow designers, 25 per cent of whom are new to the DCCI Irish Craft Village. The 33 makers exhibiting at Bloom were selected by a panel chosen by DCCI.

Anouk O'Connell, of Olannmor.

Olannmor displayed an exclusive Bloom weaving kit, which was on offer over the weekend, and also took part in weaving demos, where visitors were shown the process of turning raw material into finished products across a variety of disciplines.

Rosemary Steen, CEO of Design and Crafts Council Ireland said: "All the brands you will see at DCCI Irish Craft Village work to create beautiful and unique products and showcase them to people from all over the country at Bloom. It is an honour that DCCI can provide this platform for Irish talent. I want to thank the Chief Executive of Bord Bia, Jim O’Toole for his support of our makers. This is a great example of national agencies working together."

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