Claire Garvey's Studio and Shop

Claire Garvey

What kind of Art/Crafts do you do?
I do fashion design, head pieces, wedding dresses, 21sts, debs, alternative designs, colour shoes.

Where do you create?
I do them in my shop. I have a work room but to be honest it sprawls into the shop as well. I have a great design team, Helen Moriarty and Mary Daly, who put up with the tight space!



How do you keep all your supplies organised?
It's very difficult, having a shop and workroom combined. It's hard to keep it tidy if not impossible! We try to put things back at the end of the day, threads in their box, matching beads in theirs, measuring tapes and chalks etc but it doesn't always work out that way.

How do you keep yourself motivated to keep your space tidy?
I suppose the best thing to keep us motivated is the fact that we have to work there the next day! We have to find the fabric for the day, easier if its labelled, we have to find the orders, again easier if they are lined up on one of the tables ready to go.
 


Any tips for how to keep art spaces tidy or organised?
I suppose I'm not very organised. The only tip I can give is clear everything of that you don't need for the next day. Write a list of everything you have to do that day and have it lined up or in plastic bags ready to go. I also store a lot of my spare fabrics in see through containers and label them in separate boxes i.e. chiffons together, satins together, linings etc. it makes it easier when you are looking for a certain type of fabric just to go into that box. The same applies to beads, separate containers for the sparkly ones, and coloured ones in their own box.

Do you get stressed out when your space gets in a mess?
Yes, it's very stressful. Sometimes there are so many orders on the go, the place is so small and its so hard to find anything. And also the added stress of having to keep the shop clean and not spreading to much chaos its way! I think because we do a lot of tutus and dresses that take up a lot of room we end up hanging them from hangers on the ceiling!

 

Do space limitations get in the way of projects you have in mind?
I'd love to try metal work. Never tried it but would love to try it on corsets. Who knows maybe in the future.



If you could have your dream space tomorrow what would it look like?
I've always thought of like the Great Escape of hacking through to the next shop and having that as my workroom and having the shop I have just as a shop. Nobody would notice I swear!

What is the next big thing on your wish list for your art space?
Bigger brighter and with an expresso machine plus free delivery from Milano's piazzas! Also I would like an extra seating area. When dealing with customers they often bring alot of people with them and there is no where really to put them in the shop and also I would like a bigger changing room to accommodate those big dresses.

Photo by Edina Valentova, assistant photographer Tom Soldan, model PIYANUCH Chanphet, styled by Jemma Connelly, makeup Beata Ryba

Where can people view your work or purchase it?
http://www.clairegarvey.com/ or you can go to Claire Garvey shop to buy directly from me. Claire Garvey Designer Shop 6 Cow's Lane, Temple Bar, Dublin 8 00353 -1-6717287            Photo by Edina Valentova, assistant photographer Tom Soldan, model PIYANUCH Chanphet, styled by Jemma Connelly, makeup Beata Ryba Thanks to Claire for allowing me to publish her studio photos and for taking time to answer my questions! Thank you! ***update if you like Claire's work you can now vote for her on: Ireland Top Designer*** http://blog.fayedinsmore.com/irelands-top-designer/