Welcome to House of Kerry
Mission statement
House of Kerry is located on a farm, a designated Special Area of Conservation, of beautiful natural scenery and biodiversity in Muckross Killarney Co. Kerry. It aims to inspire with a beautiful collection of timeless heirloom pieces to be cherished for a long time. If you must buy something new, buy something you love, that can be passed on to the next generation too! House of Kerry is a conscious, slow fashion brand which cherishes the planet founded by artist/designer Christine O’Donoghue de Vries. It is inspired especially by the strong women who went before Christine, especially her grandmother, who alongside her grandfather worked the land, raised a family and in addition created and upcycled everything from furniture to beautiful dresses for their family. In the same fashion Christine takes sample fabric pieces and cut offs and up cycles them into bow ties and woolen berets and even uses them as borders on her tweed wrap dresses. In a first for fashion she hand dyed silage netting from the farmscape with non toxic dyes, to embellish a woolen beret which in turn she embellished with hand sewn sustainably made crystals. No matter what we do we leave a carbon footprint, the choice is to make it as tiny as possible!
Who are we?
The House of Kerry logo of the evergreen is inspired by the trees, pockets of woodland and shelter belts which were planted on the farm by our grandfather and greatgrandfather. They were planted primarily for shelter for the house, soil and animals in the fields.
Background
Christine, founder of House of Kerry received a joint honours Law and French degree from University College Cork and practiced as a Barrister for several years before returning back to Co. Kerry to pursue her creative passions.
Christine has over 12 years experience in fine art prints and textile design created from her own watercolors, screenprints, collage and fine art photography. She works with traditional sometimes nostalgic scenery but with a contemporary twist and an international flair for design. Christine’s designs have been in “Drapers” of London Top Picks to exhibit in London’s Premium fashion shows 2023 and she was invited to show her “Joie de Vivre” sustainable collections at New York Fashion week 2023 as an emerging international talent. House of Kerry was a finalist at Drapers Sustainable Fashion Awards 2023 in London and was awarded “Highly Commended” status.
Christine has an eye for creating pieces flattering to the female form. Nothing takes the stress out of shopping for an occasion than to have a bespoke fitted garment which you won’t find on the high street. As well as having a choice of Christine’s in house prints you can also choose from a range of exciting couture heritage fabrics. She is delighted to work with you to customise bespoke once off wearable art pieces made to your sizing. Appointments can be made in person on request. If you see an image you love on our website, please contact Christinedevries.hofk@gmail.com and she will be happy to discuss your requirements with you.
In true sustainable style she renovated the old farmhouse in her family for generations and now lives there with her Peruvian/Dutch husband and their young family. Christine is also an Origin Green farmer and wool producer working closely with nature. She sees at first hand the detrimental effects climate change is having on the planet in the form of extreme weather conditions including drought which has led to fodder shortages. Her designs are primarily influenced by the breath taking natural scenery of Co. Kerry outside the windows of the old farmhouse and Co. Kerry and reminders of things gone by. Customers love House of Kerry pieces, nostalgic but with a contemporary twist and international flair.
Awards/Press
Christine won the Irish Fashion Designer of the Year Awards in 2018 and 2019. Her work has appeared in the Spirit of Ireland Magazine, the Business Post, the Kerryman, Independent.ie, Motley magazine, Vogue Italia, Stellar magazine, Elle, Glamour and Fashion Week Online ( emerging international talent). Her work has also appeared on the New European Bauhaus Design platform and Drapers (House of Kerry picked as one of the best brands to show at Scoop and Pure premium London fashion shows 2022). In 2023 Christine’s designs made a successful debut at New York Fashion Week. House of Kerry has been named a finalist in the “Drapers Sustainable Fashion Awards” London 2023.
 |
Our Philosophy
Traceability and transparency
House of Kerry pieces are designed for the conscious consumer with no compromise to luxury and comfort. Influenced by a farming background, resources are carefully used and repurposed whereever possible. We ensure we are doing our utmost for the environment by using natural or recycled and sustainable fabrics which are 100% biodegradable (although they are created to be cherished for a long time!) and providing traceability and transparency in our processes and the fabrics used. Our prints are all digitally printed for least environmental impact at our printing partners, a small family run business near Lake Como, Italy. Digital printing means less CO2 emissions than other traditional methods of printing. It also uses less energy and creates less waste which is best for the planet. All inks used are EU certified non toxic for the environment. All packaging used is made from recycled materials and can be recycled.
Ethically made/fairness
Above all from its inception in 2016 House of Kerry is committed to working with ethical suppliers who pay fair wages to their employees and ensure that employees have good working conditions.
Community
House of Kerry endaevours to promote as much work as possible in the local economy and community and uses local suppliers and artisans for orders wherever it is possible to do so. Christine was invited to help the children with an art project at her local school and was delighted to sponser the paint. House of Kerry has been involved in raising funds for the St. Vincent de Paul Kerry Education Fund which helps out third level students going to college, the Laura Lynn Children’s hospice which provides a service to families all over Ireland as well as to Kerry Cancer Support Group which provides a free transport service to patients for their hospital treatment. More recently House of Kerry initiated a fundraiser for Ukraine in collaboration with other designers to help the humanitarian crisis there.