Here in rural West Cork, there's a stretch in the days and signs of renewal in nature. Ordinarily, we'd be looking forward to venturing out from hibernation as the Summer Season gains a pace and our local markets pick up. However, as a global community, we're facing something we've never seen with the outbreak of Covid-19. None of us know what's ahead, but we've all been informed of what we should and shouldn't be doing regarding our civic responsibility to protect those that are most vulnerable to serious illness. Most of us are based at home now, limiting excursions to only the essential and paying extra attention to hand washing and household hygiene.

Luckily, my studio is at home, so I'm already working from home and don't need to go out in public places. As I write, the market at Skibbereen is now only open for food producers and I'm certainly going to miss the chats. Generally, I'm happy in my own company, but I know that having no social interaction at all will have an impact and I'm keeping in contact with family and friends, particularly those who live alone and are already isolated.

I’m sure this is a message you've heard, but I’ll say it anyway: if your income and security have not been impacted, I encourage you to continue supporting small businesses which will probably mean ordering online. Many of my friends are self-employed makers and are looking at other ways of keeping going, so if you no longer have the chance to buy from them in person, please do find out if they're able to deliver to you or arrange collection. To be candid, this is affecting me, too, so if you've been considering choosing a piece or having something made to measure, do let me know and we'll see what we can work out.

It's getting tougher for us all and the uncertainty of not knowing how long we'll be living this way can feel overwhelming. Personally, I'm very impressed with the Irish government's handling of the crisis and it's leadership. I can't help but reflect on our healthcare workers, whose professionalism we're entirely depending on, and hope once we're though this, at last get the recompense they are due. Ultimately, I'm optimistic and it is my hope that with a worldwide communal effort, we can slow and manage the impact of COVID-19, for everyone's sake and especially for those out there whose health and livelihoods are at risk.

Tamsin ✂️

Having a preoccupation with textiles and clothing has been a lifelong obsession. When consumed in studying fabric or planning a garment, awareness of everything other is suspended. It is my passion and as they say, I do what I love. Recently, I've been considering the wider impact of my choices when selecting fabrics and wondering where it's from exactly, who worked on producing it, were they paid properly and what was the effect on the environment? I've always opted for natural fibre fabrics and intuitively felt they should be environmentally preferable, but I wanted to research the facts.

Whilst still being a niche interest group, the Sustainable Fashion Movement is now well established and during recent years has been mentioned in the mainstream media increasingly regularly. The internet makes it easy to research for exponents and early adopters; there is no shortage of information. There is however, much debate over what is intended by Sustainable Fashion, it means different things to different people in different situations.

My epiphany was the idea that the principle of sustainability refers to the whole lifestyle of the garment, not just who made it, the materials used and the environmental impact, but also how many times it's worn, how it's looked after including washing and mending and then what happens to it at the end of it's life. Personally, I love the idea that a garment might be cut down to fit a small person, cut up for patchwork or made into a duster – very much better than going to landfill. For a garment to reach the end of it's life because it has been literally worn out, is the greatest compliment to it's maker. Designers have a huge responsibility to produce a garment that will endure for it's wearer by using quality materials, manufacturing to a high standard and creating timeless style.

Researching what it means to be sustainable and ethical in clothing I've found that, so far, there isn't a single interpretation, more that it is an evolving conversation. It is about rethinking our behaviour and relationships with fashion consumption in the same way we have become concerned for the provenance of food and interested in seeking out artisan food producers. Here are some definitions that resonate for me and are leading me to reexamine my own attitudes:

Sustainable Fashion - Produced in a non-wasteful process, re-using and recycling as much of the 'left over' material as possible.

Sustainability - a socio-ecological process characterized by the pursuit of a common ideal.

Sustainable - conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources; causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time.

Ethical - being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice; morally good or correct; a system of accepted beliefs that control behaviour, especially such a system based on morals

Artisan - a person that makes a high-quality or distinctive product in small quantities, usually by hand or using traditional methods.