Edel’s coat wraps up design award

THIS stunning coat by Edel Traynor, who is based at The Chocolate Factory Studios in North Dublin city, earned its creator €2,500 in this year’s Future Maker of the Year awards.

Edel shared a first prize fund of €5,000 with Southside furniture designer Simon Doyle at the awards, which are part of an annual programme from the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland.

The awards programme that supports emerging talent had a total prize fund of €24,500 for 2016 and 30 up-and-coming designer-makers presented at this year’s ceremony, which took place on June 8. Other local winners included James Delaney from Stoneybatter who won the Imagined Futures Award of €1,000, a new category introduced for 2016.

His award winning project questioned what a first Irish space mission might look like, and how Irish designers and craft makers might work with the Irish space industry to make history and launch a first satellite Irish mission. Speaking at the awards ceremony, Chief Executive of the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, Karen Hennessy, highlighted the importance of supporting designers and makers at all stages of their career.

“The wealth of emerging creative talent here in Ireland has recently achieved significant exposure both at home and internationally, particularly through the Government-backed Irish Design 2015 initiative,” she said.

“We hope to work with these up and coming designers and makers in the years to come, supporting them as registered client enterprises with the potential to grow and generate vital employment. We wish them every success as they establish their careers.”