WEARINGIRISH showcases top designers/brands from Ireland. In this series, meet the designers and hear their stories. Here Margaret chats with Jacqueline Quinn. Visit jacquelinequinn.com for more!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND. I started at Grafton Academy of Fashion Design in Dublin. I then moved to New York in 1995 and was a designer for Jessica Simpson, head designer for DKNY and the creative director for Betsey Johnson. I currently started my clothing line that launched in the US in 2019 and Europe in 2020. WHAT WAS THE MOST DEFINING MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER? Being named head designer at DKNY. WHAT’S YOUR AMBITION FOR YOUR BRAND? For more women to experience the brand and feel fabulous wearing it. HOW YOU WOULD DEFINE THE HEART AND SOUL OF YOUR BRAND? Feminine, sustainable and timeless. WHERE DOES YOUR BRAND NAME COME FROM? My love of Jacqueline Kennedy; I was also named after her.
WHO IS YOUR DREAM MUSE? WHY? My fascination with Mrs. Kennedy and her iconic style. YOUR DREAM COLLABORATION? It is coming true currently, now that I can design with the Kennedys for my Jacqueline Kennedy brand. WHAT INSPIRES YOU ABOUT THE WEARINGIRISH MOVEMENT? The fact that WearingIrish exposes so much Irish talent and creativity. WHO DO YOU WANT TO WEAR IRISH? Those who want to help promote the designers who show their Irish creativity. TAKE US THROUGH YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS. At the beginning of every season, I research mood boards, magazines, books, movies, and wait to be inspired. When that inspiration comes, that is when the real creative process begins with choosing fabrics, colors and much more. HOW DOES A SENSE OF PLACE INFORM YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS— SPECIFICALLY IRELAND? Currently, for my master’s in fine arts and fashion, I am studying Georgian house stucco in Ireland, and it has influenced a new fabric for my collection. WHAT DOES BEING IRISH MEAN TO YOU AND IN WHAT WAY HAS IT INFLUENCED YOUR CREATIONS? I have been exposed to great Irish painters and writers, and so many of them have been a source of inspiration for my collections; my favorite Irish painter is Jack Butler Yeats. MOST COVETED ITEM IN YOUR COLLECTION? I purchased the original sketches of the inaugural gala gown that Oleg Cassini designed for Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961 and it has influenced a lot of my work. THREE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT? My daughter and her success in fashion, my dog Coco and a good manicure. YOUR GO-TO STYLING TRICK? Black with good accessories. TELL US ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT I DIDN’T ASK. Being told by my Harvard professor that my writing skills were very strong opened new horizons for me.