Helen Hayes: Crafted Couture

Words Edel Cassidy

With a passion for couture finishes and traditional handcrafted techniques, Helen Hayes infuses her collections with tailored elegance and a contemporary flair, ensuring each garment possesses a captivating tactile allure.

Here, she tells me about her journey to becoming a fashion designer, what inspires her and the great impact her childhood exposure to traditional crafts has had on her work.

Can you share your journey into the world of fashion design? What inspired you to follow this career?

I grew up on a farm in County Tipperary and there was a love of handcrafts in my family. I was taught to knit and sew from a young age under the guidance of my mother and grandmother. I remember my grandmother purchasing Irish tweed fabric to make her own garments. There was also an elderly neighbour, Mrs Stanley, who taught me to crochet.

I initially studied graphic design at the Limerick School of Art and Design and worked in that field for many years. It was only when my daughter started school that I increasingly wanted to revisit the techniques I had been taught as a child and to learn how to do everything ‘properly’. I studied at the Grafton Academy of Fashion Design, Dublin, at night one evening a week and gradually increased my hours. I graduated in 2015.

Model wearing a contemporary silver and white outfit designed by Helen Hayes — Organza ‘circles’ top with pleated silver skirt and headpiece. From Helen’s first collection at the Grafton Academy of Fashion Design. Photo: Lilly Rose McDonald.

At the start, how difficult was it to create brand awareness and get your label known?

I never planned to establish my own label; my aim was simply to explore its potential. The label’s growth has been gradual, mainly through word of mouth. A significant milestone was in 2019 when I participated in the ‘Create’ project at Brown Thomas, Dublin, where I introduced my ‘squares’ bags and shirt dresses. Another pivotal moment was joining the Council of Irish Fashion Designers (CIFD), chaired by Eddie Shanahan, which connected me with a community of fellow designers.

Each successive collection I create is an evolution, focusing on the principles of simplicity and timeless silhouettes. Central to my designs are handcrafted techniques, with signature pieces like my classic white shirt and black waistcoat. The idea for the waistcoat came from my grandfather who always wore one while working on the farm. I’ve maintained the traditional black tailored front while incorporating the main textile of the collection for the back.

For my latest collection, I’ve shifted my focus to dresses for the first time and I’m eager to see how these will work.

Old photograph of traditional Irish farming using horse-drawn machinery — From Helen’s grandfather’s photo album – the inspiration for her waistcoats

One of your most iconic collections features the ‘squares’ pieces, which draw on origami techniques. What was your inspiration for this collection?

The Grafton Academy was located right in the heart of Georgian Dublin; the buildings there are beautiful and the fanlights and glass works captivated me. When I attended there, I couldn’t resist admiring the small lattice windows as I passed by, each pane of glass set individually, causing light to bounce and reflect in unique ways. I tried to capture this in my ‘squares’ pieces. The garments and bags are made up of individual squares of duchesse satin, a fabric that seemed to best suit the subtle reflections I was after.

I also looked back at the design and folds of paper for the popular children’s ‘fortune telling’ game. My completed folded squares closely resemble a flattened version of the same folding pattern; they capture the various facets I was aiming for. I began folding and assembling the squares one by one. The first piece I created was claret red, reminiscent of the Georgian fanlights. I then added ribbon embellishments to the hems, necklines and, in particular, the bags, which adds another layer of texture and colour.

A unique evening bag made from folded ribbon designed by Helen Hayes — The finished ‘squares bag’ in an antique ivory duchesse satin with ball chain handles

Helen Hayes at work hand-sewing an evening bag in white satin — Bags are handcrafted from individual squares of fabric folded and assembled.

Hands sewing a delicately woven white fabric — Individual strips of fabric that have been rolled, hemmed and sewn together.

Some of your designs are very complex and obviously time-consuming. Were you ever tempted to go for a less intricate style?

I never set out to make my work intricate; it just seemed to happen organically. The complexity depends very much on the particular collection or the piece itself. While the squares are intricate to make, I hope the overall effect looks tactile and inviting to touch but has an element of restraint to it.

My white shirts are intended to be quite minimal and uncluttered. The only visible stitching is the ‘coriander seed’ hand-stitching, which I use to sew the individual pieces of the garment together. All other stitching is intended to be invisible. I like that the only visible stitching is based on traditional techniques. The fabric is very important too. I use two different white cottons: organdie on the exterior, and lawn on the interior. The organdie is almost a paper-like fabric; perhaps it is the graphic designer in me, but I like these paper-like qualities. The cotton lawn is just beautifully soft; it will only be seen and felt by those who wear the shirt.

A woman wearing a stylish hat by couture designer Helen Hayes — White shirt with folded ribbon embellishment with white folded headpiece. Photo: Steve Weldon; Model: Claire Gunn.

What are the key influences or sources of inspiration for your designs?

They vary greatly, yet I’ve realised that each one reflects something meaningful from my childhood. Recently, I looked at old Fair Isle knitting patterns, particularly one of my grandmother’s from the 1950s. I experimented with spools of black ribbon gifted by my mother-in-law that came from a now-closed ribbon factory. I folded and manipulated the ribbon to form the flowers inspired by the knitting pattern.

This has probably been my most time-consuming collection to date as it took a lot of attempts to get the flowers the way I envisioned them. Once I achieved this, I started to play with colours reminiscent of traditional Fair Isle knitting.

Knitting patterns cut from a magazine and piled on a table — The inspiration behind the folded ribbon ‘fairisle flowers’

Mannequin dressed in finely folded ribbon by couture designer Helen Hayes — Helen’s grandmother’s Fair Isle knitting pattern from the 1950s

Do you incorporate sustainability and ethical practices into your design process?

I think my approach has always been to keep things as straightforward as possible. I’ve chosen to work in the couture end of fashion. I make-to-order from my studio in Dublin and purchase fabrics locally. The processes I use are not wasteful. With both my ribbon work and ‘squares’ pieces there is no waste. The lengths of ribbon or squares of fabric are cut as needed before being folded and manipulated into place. It is slow fashion.

Young couple dressed in evening wear designed by Helen Hayes — Navy ribbon ‘fairisle flowers’ top and skirt. Photo: Kieran Harnett; Stylist: Roxanne Parker. As featured in Weir & Sons *The Magazine*.

‘Helen Hayes: Crafted Couture’ is published in Anthology Volume 21. Read more features from this volume or buy it now.
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Irish fashion designer Helen Hayes infuses contemporary couture with traditional elegance