Twigín is the creation of Irish visual artist Ciara O’Connor. Ciara and her family moved from Dublin to her mother’s hometown of Kenmare in the summer of 2022. Inspired by the creativity and entrepreneurship of the busy market town, she began thinking of ways to integrate her artwork into sustainable, eco-friendly gifts that would also bring her work to a wider audience. Focusing on her thread drawings of Irish literary, music and revolutionary icons, people she has drawn repeatedly throughout her life, she set about sourcing the most ethical, environmentally aware suppliers she could find. All paper is sustainable and recycled, inks are eco-friendly, and fabric is 100% certified Organic Fairtrade Cotton.
The name Twigín came from the nickname Ciara’s mother Doris gave her as a child, a fitting tribute to the woman whose strength and tenacity inspired her to take the leap into starting her own business. The colours of Twigín are inspired by the Irish landscape, particularly the wildflowers and hedgerows around Doris’ native Kenmare – gorse yellow, foxglove purple, forest green and the fiery orange red of montbretia.
Ciara O’Connor
Ciara O’Connor is an Irish visual artist. She works in a combination of free motion embroidery, hand stitch and raw-edged appliqué.
Born in Glasgow to parents from County Kerry, O’Connor spent her formative years in Dublin. She studied Fine Art in GMIT, Galway, specialising in Painting and Printmaking. After college she opted to travel before settling in Brooklyn, New York, in 2009. Here she experimented with photography, millinery and silversmithing. Her embroidery journey began in 2018, at which time she had returned to her native Ireland.
Although late to the textiles party, she quickly found herself very much at home. Her preferred method of drawing is free motion embroidery; essentially drawing with a sewing machine by dropping the feed dogs and using the needle like a pen. This is the technique she uses for creating the artwork for Twigín.
Our Suppliers
Our tote bags are printed and supplied by The T-Shirt Company in Dublin, who are Ireland’s printing pioneers in the field of discharge ink. Discharge embeds the print into the fabric rather than onto it. They use the most advanced screen-printing technology in the country and inks that are water based and chemical free. Their totes are ethically produced using Organic Fairtrade Cotton.
Our stationery is supplied by The Factory in Birr, Co.Offaly, Ireland’s leading eco-friendly printers. All products are responsibly printed on 100% recycled and carbon balanced paper with eco-inks, using self-generated green energy.
Our mugs are designed here in Ireland and manufactured in Germany by Könitz Porzellan. With about 300 years of experience, their quality and printing know-how is second to none. Sustainability is an important part of their process:
“In our packaging ideas we pay attention to a production from recycled paper, and we are part of the Belland Vision. We regularly have our emissions and water checked. Our in‐house print shop has a recycling system for water and waste and a system that optimizes energy consumption. This is regularly audited by the district office. In the future, we want to do even more to keep our ecological footprint as green as possible. Therefore, we are planning to install a photovoltaic system to supply our buildings with renewable energy.”