Magee 1866 is a relatively new brand to me and one that I discovered last year. The Irish Heritage has a classic feel to it and personally I love the modern yet traditional look to so many of the pieces. Today I wanted to share some of my favourite Spring Summer looks as this may also be a new brand to you as it was to me, and I think some of the pieces are timeless and worth investing it.
How the brand has not come across my radar before is a mystery to me! Magee 1866 is one of Ireland’s oldest design houses, and have over 150 Years of experience Designing, Weaving and Tailoring. And when you see their pieces, that experience and expertise is very apparent.
When I started reading more about the brand, I fell in love with their story – John Magee, the founder of the brand started the business back in 1866 (hence the name) buying and selling hand woven Donegal Tweed. The story continues (which you can read here), and includes some interesting facts such as the War 1914-1918 creates a boom in the Irish Woollen Industry as the soldiers needed uniforms to Sybil Connolly (known for creating haute couture from Irish textiles) and Irene Gilbert (who is noted as being Ireland’s first couturier) helping put the brand on the map by incorporating the fabric into their collections to their Tweed being used in Aer Lingus uniforms in 1962.
The SS18 collections from Magee 1866 illustrate that the Irish brand is clearly no longer just about the jacket, which is what they were know for. The iconic Irish brand is fast developing into a lifestyle brand, offering weekday to night looks and weekend essentials for discerning men and women. The clothes are wearable on a day to day basis but still have that timeless look and feel about them.
Beautiful fabrics including luxurious yarns like cashmere, silk, lambswool and cotton are at core of everything Magee 1866 creates, with colours inspired by the sea and landscapes surrounding Donegal. Donegal handwoven tweed is distinctive with its bright flecks of colour woven through each piece. Heather purples, grass greens, fuchsia pinks, gorse yellows, sea blues and earthy browns to name but a few colours found in this unique fabric. This season sees these fabrics translated into garment designs which fit into the current times and style and yet are timeless.
You can see in the images above that so many of the pieces would make wonderful staples to a wardrobe, and what I like about the brand is that they are not fast fashion. They are a heritage brand that has successfully bridged the gap between their traditional beginnings and changing to satisfy the modern customer. What is hard to do is still keep the essence of the brand history alive – and Magee 1866 is one of the very few brands that I have seen do this successfully. And that is evident in this Spring Summer 2018 collection.
You can check out the Magee 1866 Spring Summer collection in full on their website, and also follow the brand on Facebook and Instagram. Are there any pieces that you will be adding to your wardrobe from the brand?
