Feature image: ©Emma Stoner Photography
Fabric artist Regina Tierney creates clothing for the magic ritual that is daily life. Her designs, made from natural and sustainable materials, add a feel of Celtic spirit and culture into ensembles that can be worn anywhere and everywhere.
Indeed, that is how her business first came to be. She started creating clothing for herself to wear every day that would express her character, sense of place, and culture. Before she knew it, strangers were approaching her to ask her where she bought her clothes. “I imagine anyone who feels and identifies a connection to Celtic culture would resonate with my creations,” she says, “but I am continuously taken aback by the variety of people from all walks of life who love my designs.” It quickly became clear that she was onto something. Five years ago, she entered a contest for entrepreneurs and won. This confirmation gave her the nudge she needed to start Celtic Fusion Design.
It is clear that Celtic Fusion is not simply a fashion company but a lifestyle and spiritual walk of life for Tierney: “To me the power of Celtic art lies in its deep roots in earth-based worship and connection to our ancestors. Giving awareness to this is a natural way of connecting to the beauty of Celtic spirit, and this will easily spill over into expressing yourself outwardly through fashion.” For each garment bought from Celtic Fusion’s website, Tierney gives a donation for a tree to be planted as a way to offset the carbon released in the production of her designs. “Fashion is one of the top polluters of our planet. I wanted to do my business ethically and give back to the earth,” she says.
Creating each design for Celtic Fusion can be a long and time-consuming process, involving conceptual drawings on paper, choosing fabrics from Tierney’s stock of textiles and trims, creating the patterns, and cutting the designs. The prototype can be redesigned a half dozen times or more before she is satisfied with the new creation.
Although Ireland is the home of Celtic Fusion and the heart of the business, Tierney also admires Scotland as well. “The culture is so vibrant and historic, and the landscape is immense and wild,” she says. So how would the famous Sassenach lass, Claire Fraser, dress in Tierney’s designs if she lived today? “If I could recommend an outfit for Claire, it would be my new tweed Morrigan skirt, with a flax Grace O’Malley top and Bones cincher belt, with a Dark and Stormy Druid cape over this,” Tierney says. “I think she would look amazing in my designs.”
