Island Diary.

At Inis Meáin we are proud to continue to design and make all of our exceptional knitwear in our own Aran Islands workshop in Ireland for almost 50 years now — read about it and about some of the exciting Irish creatives following in our footsteps in the Financial Times’ How to Spend It Magazine.

In the piece entitled Stayed in Ireland, writer Kate Finnegan meets the weavers, knitters and designers recharging Ireland’s luxe economy. While Ireland used to export many of its big fashion names, the article delves into a new crop of Irish fashion designers who are choosing to base themselves here, with some using Irish raw materials and some producing as well as designing in Ireland. The reality is that in Ireland, and in other countries with similar economies, it has become very challenging to produce textiles here. This means that Irish designer-producers have become a particularly rare entity, and deserve support for helping to keep Ireland’s strong textile traditions alive — not only in words and design but particularly by making in Ireland. As the only knitwear design studio and factory in the Aran Islands, employing a team of 25 on the middle island of Inis Meáin, we help sustain the small population of 180 islanders, as well as authentic Aran sweater patterns, stitches and traditions in the home of Aran knitting. While we continue to invest in the latest knitwear technology and use only the finest and most durable of yarns, our team — many with us for decades and steeped in Aran knitting — link, detail and embellish our original designs by hand.

The Financial Times piece features the summer linen version of the Inis Meáin Pub Jacket in Amber Marl, a perennial favourite, while describing the winter version as “something of a cult item”. Murray Pearlstein, founder of the iconic Louis Boston menswear store first coined the name Pub Jacket for this singular Inis Meáin style over 35 years ago, and we’ve used it with pride ever since. With a revere collar, the Inis Meáin Pub Jacket brings a relaxed elegance to both formal and informal wear. The current mid-season availability of the winter and summer versions is limited, with some sizes remaining in the summer linen colourways of warm Amber Marl, classic Black and versatile Grey Marl. The winter version in Cashmere, Merino, Baby Alpaca and Silk also has some limited availability remaining in intriguing Black Marl, and nature-inspired Khaki Marl. Keep an eye on our Newsletter to read about new season colours of the iconic Inis Meáin Pub Jacket as they are launched. And thank you for your continued interest in our knitwear, designed and made with consideration and care in our home in the Aran Islands… go maire tú is go gcaithe tú é.