"This is so beautiful we've been wondering whether to frame it or sell it. Can a garment be art?"

NO MAN WALKS ALONE

"Inis Meain take bits and pieces of their very culture and weave them into their knitwear" - Tom Stubbs.

Inis Meain is the kind of brand that can’t help but warm your heart—figuratively as well as literally. The company is an Irish manufacturer specializing in handmade Aran sweaters that are “inspired by tradition but not in awe of it,” to quote founder Tarlach de Blácam. Try the Trellis Cable Turtleneck or one of the exclusive Donegal Merino Wool and Cashmere Sweaters, and I guarantee you’ll fall in love with it.

-ROBBREPORT

“Inis Meáin is one of those brands which is an absolute expert in its field,” says Damien Paul, head of menswear at Matches Fashion. “It creates understated, best-in-class knitwear in muted colours and tones that can work for any man. It’s the sort of product you end up having for years and is far removed from seasonal trends. It’s definitely a brand that chimes with the emerging slower approach to fashion our customers appreciate.”

ESQUIRE UK

"We want pilgrims to come here, not tourists,” .... “Customers today don’t just want to try on a garment,” he continues. “They want to know exactly where it’s from, why it’s been made the way it has.” And that’s maybe the most important thing for us to capture in the knitwear—an attitude to life.”

WALL STREET JOURNAL

What keeps any legacy alive is the people who continue to practice it. One venture to preserve and promote Irish knitwear is Inis Meáin, a brand based on the island of the same name, on the west coast of Ireland. While committed to sustaining the manufacturing history of the island, and continuing to learn from the people who represent the history of their craft.

THE RAKE

Yet more rustic sensibility is on offer at Inis Meáin. The Aran-based knitwear specialist has taken inspiration from the island’s claíochaí, or stone fences, for a remarkable blanket (€590) and scarf (€220) in a merino wool/cashmere blend. There’s also the Keating wool jacquard blanket (€390) in reversible white and grey, based on a sketch by artist Sean Keating of a currach (boat) being launched out to sea.

HOW TO SPEND IT

"For knitwear, I can't recommend Inis Meáin enough. Worn by local fishermen since 1976, it is both artisanal work of art and functional body armour all rolled into one. Land lubbers, you need this in your life!"

THE RAKE

"I’ll go back to the islands again: The Inis Meáin Knitting Company designs these beautiful sweaters with beautiful colours, which they sell to shops all over the world – all from that little island where they design and make the whole thing themselves. It’s quite incredible. The design of the factory and the materials they use are of the highest level. There’s nothing about it that’s stereotypical, yet it’s of its place, and it’s also completely modern. I came back with a lot of shopping bags, and so did my wife." - Martin Hayes

THE IRISH TIMES

It’s been said that Irish eyes tend to smile, but check again, and you may see that it’s only the result of a particularly cozy sweater. Or at least that’s likely to be the case if the owner of those happy peepers finds himself swathed in a sweater from Inis Meáin—our current obsession, which is handcrafted on the Emerald Isle. Hailing from the island of the same name (though in English rather than Gaelic, it’s more commonly known as Inishmaan), Inis Meáin harnesses the rich tradition of weaving and knitting found in the Aran Islands, but modernizes it with new techniques and designs.

BARNEYS NEW YORK

Strong yet soft, smart yet relaxed – it’s no wonder alpaca is leading the pack this season, says Tom Stubbs.

Alpaca’s durability and excellent drape also make it eminently suitable for the signature knitted jackets (€475) at Inis Meáin, with their button fronts and turn-down collars. This season’s update (€540) has a Nehru collar and a distinctive ribbed effect. I also like the retro appearance of its patterned and cabled Aran crewneck (€335) in baby alpaca and silk. - Tom Stubbs How to Spend it.

HOW TO SPEND IT

An international beacon of knitted design and simple luxury, the Inis Meáin Knitting Company sits perched near the edge of Europe, 30-miles from Ireland’s Westernmost shores and on the middling of the three Aran Islands, 4-by-2 mile Inis Meáin. A landscape of inspiring rugged beauty and age-old simplicity, Inis Meáin is an oil painting of rough, turbulent seas, labyrinths of stone and carpets of moss and wild flora, all of which are reflected in each design, knit and stitch of the area’s famed ‘fisherman’s sweaters’.

WHITE LINE HOTELS

This combination of traditional design and modern sensibility has earned Inis Meáin a place on the racks of fashionable retailers from Todd Snyder in New York to Beams in Tokyo.

-Jeremy Freed,

Globe and Mail Canada

Now an international business selling to the likes of Anderson and Sheppard in London's Savile Row, Hollington in Paris and online via matchfashion.com De Blacam and his wife Áine continue to work on new collections every season, sifting through yarn supplies from places as disparate as Italy and South America. "What we are looking for in the yarns — the styles, colours and quality — is very much based on the idea of incorporating a little bit of heritage and tradition into our pieces," says De Blacam. "There is a big story to tell about Aran kniteear that is a lot more than the highly decorated sweater."

THE SUNDAY BUSINESS POST

The Fabulous Aran Islands

"Anche per la stagione a/i 2015, il brand irlandese Inis Meáin, azienda produttrice di maglieria, continua a ispirarsi all’archivio del semplice abbigliamento da lavoro tipico delle tre isole di Aran. Il marchio irlandese ha introdotto nuovi assortimenti cromatici in lana, lana/cashmere e baby alpaca/seta, mischiate con marne della contea di Donegal. Prosegue anche il pattern dei recinti in pietra (Claíhocaí in gaelico), che rispecchia il labirinto di queste recinzioni tipico delle Aran."

COLLEZIONI

Where is Inis Meáin Anyway?

"Inis Meáin knits are widely regarded as being some of the finest in the world, and their list of stores ranges from household names like Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman down to independent shops such as Carson Street Clothiers and Freemans Sporting Club. As fisherman style knits have become increasingly popular over the past few years, Inis Meáin’s authentic yet progressive designs have leveraged the brand alongside some of the largest labels in the world. Not bad for an island that’s barely even a speck on the map."

A CONTINIOUS LEAN

The Top 5 Brands: Bread & Butter Fall 2014

"Upon entry, we’re handed a small, slick booklet, with a map inside highlighting the brand’s HQ: a tiny island off Ireland’s west coast with 200 inhabitants – rich with a history of knitting. The craftsmanship in each piece is outstanding, as the brand has one foot in tradition but another in the future, continuously updating stitches and adapting to a modern marketplace. With some brands, the attempts to keep heritage alive can feel forced, but with Inis Meáin it feels nothing but genuine and beautiful."

EDITD

BARNEYS Continues Madison Ave. Makeover:

“We’re trying to break away from the old notion of classic or designer brands…
BARNEYS men’s Fall catalogue also showcases the complete lifestyle offering of the brands it carries, mixing Brioni with Inis Meáin”

WWD USA

THE CULT SHOP

A stylish knitwear boutique based where its heritage-rich clothes are made - the Aran Islands

It’s a far-flung spot for a spending spree, but this knitwear boutique on Inis Meain, one of the three Aran Islands at the mouth of Galway Bay in Ireland, is in a league of its own, being the most westerly and remote shopping destination in Europe.

howtospendit.com

CRITICAL SHOPPER

POP quiz: who’s more stylish, Usher or Cuba Gooding Jr.?

Only Barneys New York holds the answers to such esoterica. It’s the level playing field of fashion, appealing to magnates and celebrities and tourists alike, a brand that, for all its overreaching of recent years, remains remarkably durable......

On (floor) four, newish lines were impressive, especially Inis Meain, with its inventive Donegal sweaters, or Scout Original, with its bold Cowichan caricatures ....

By JON CARAMANICA

Published: November 22, 2011

New York Times.com

Barneys Spotlights Men's Contemporary Labels Barneys' re-designed men's floor.
NEW YORK — Barneys New York has identified contemporary sportswear as a category with significant growth potential. “This is a real then-and-now story,” said Tom Kalenderian, executive vice president and general merchandise manager of men’s wear. They also scoured the world for unique brands such as Grown & Sewn, which produces chinos from the original fabric mill in North Carolina; The Stronghold, an artisinal denim brand from California, and Massimo Alba, which offers unique washed and distressed sportswear pieces. Barneys also challenged its vendors to step out of the box. Inis Meáin, an Irish brand famous for its hand-loomed fisherman’s sweaters, has created an entire sportswear collection.

Fashion, Pitti Uomo – Ones to Watch
Inis Meáin, named after one of the Irish Aran islands, Inis Meáin has been employing local knitters for the past 30 years. From highly decorated Aran Sweaters to a complex tweed stitch developed with an Aran local, the collection was inspired by a 100-year-old photograph of Meáin fishermen in traditional sweaters.

The three stark and tussocky Aran Islands – Inis Meáin, Inis Mór and Inis Oírr – lurk in the mouth of Galway Bay Ireland. Remote from an already remote western coastline, the resourceful islanders have used their spare time over the centuries to elevate cable knitting to an art form with an intricacy unmatched anywhere else. Today the islands have their own indigenous label, Inis Meáin, which sells its luxurious wares for top dollar at far flung locations like Bergdorf Goodman in New York.

As part of the “Where in the World is Matt Lauer” annual segment on the Today Show in 2007, Inis Meáin Knitting company founder and managing director, Tarlach de Blacam was interviewed by Matt Lauer about modern trends in Irish fashion and five Inis Meáin pieces were presented by irish models. The piece can be viewed at the Where in the World is Matt Lauer webpage under Day 2: Irish Fashion and Food at www.todayshow.com

Anchored in a long tradition of handknitting and one of the most celebrated knitwear companies in the world, Inis Meáin is in a league of its own. It designs, makes and exports from a tiny island out in the Atlantic to some of the most upmarket stores and boutiques in Europe, the US and Asia.