Alumni Stories - Róisín Pierce
"I don’t think I could work the way I do without having trained at NCAD. Having tutors that understood your practice/work and encouraged you even when it wasn’t what everyone else was doing was invaluable. Their nurturing, support, and understanding of aesthetics and where they could go was very encouraging."
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Name: Róisín Pierce
Current Career: Fashion design | Creative director of Róisín Pierce / Womenswear brand Róisín Pierce
Graduation Year: 2016
Discipline: Applied Materials
Location: Dublin
What career path did you want to follow as a child?
I don’t think I had a first memory where I was enthralled by fashion exactly. I was always creating things and was naturally very curious from a young age. But there was no sudden moment when I decided I wanted to work in fashion but, I think the interest was always there. As a child I enjoyed different types of clothing and how they could change how you feel. Clothing has the potential to lead to different interactions. However, I specifically remember wanting to learn all about garment construction in my early teens and started off making quite simple garments. In my later teens my interest in art and textiles grew hugely. When combined these interests work well together.
Why did you decide to study at National College of Art & Design?
I went to many NCAD Open Days, fashion events, and graduate shows which allowed me to see what the students were producing. I found it very impressive. I also quite liked that the college was quite small and encouraged multidisciplinary practices to occur. I was lucky that I had additional insight into the fashion and textile department from my friend’s older sibling. I thought that what was being done there was really very special.
How did you develop your career towards your current job or practice?
After I graduated, I worked for other womenswear designers which gave me a lot of insight into the industry. I feel it was a natural progression to start my own brand. I feel I have so much to design. There are so many areas of textiles and ways of working that interest me. I want to explore them. I feel that through exploration I will have something new to say through clothing and textiles.
Designing, although I don’t get to do it all the time, is such a joy for me. My happiest and most exciting moments are designing. It’s something I crave to do. Naturally I felt I would have so many collections and new designs in me to deliver. I wouldn’t have started my brand without feeling this way and without the extreme desire to create and explore new design work.
What is the one experience during your time at NCAD that has informed you most in your career and work to date?
I don’t think I could work the way I do without having trained at NCAD. Having tutors that understood your practice/work and encouraged you even when it wasn’t what everyone else was doing was invaluable. Their nurturing, support, and understanding of aesthetics and where they could go was very encouraging. The freeness of my course and the creativity and individuality that was celebrated and encouraged led me to develop my own process led designing. Working very organically this allowed the manipulation and draping of the fabric to inform my designs. It was a wonderful and explorative time that I was very blessed to have.
If you were chatting with current NCAD students today what is the one piece of advice you would offer?
I would have lots of advice. But my main advice would be to take this time seriously to develop your own aesthetic and to find yourself as a designer. Once you start out professionally it will get so busy, with elements you may not necessarily be interested in, that you will not have the time to do it then. You won't get the same privilege of time to spend on developing work again, nor the time to learn a lot of new skills. So use your time well at college but it is also important to really enjoy it too
What new opportunities have developed for you as a result of changes in work practice during the Covid pandemic?
I think the pandemic has levelled the playing field a bit for creatives with Instagram and the high possibility of being discovered. Having this online platform to share your work and have people find you is amazing. It's never been so readily available and easy to connect with communities that love what you do and that would like to collaborate, advance or nurture your practice
