Hanna Hats new collection hailed as ‘another great success’ at Showcase Ireland event
By Aoife Curran
Donegal millinery business, Hanna Hats unveiled their new collection in collaboration with InterTradeIreland Fusion graduate Rachel Blanckensee and North West Regional College at ‘Showcase Ireland.’
Eleanor Hanna of Hanna Hats said: ‘’This years Showcase Ireland event which took place place on Sunday 20th to Wednesday 23rd was busy as usual and our long-time customers were delighted to see our latest ladies’ styles.
‘’But we found that we had new interest from new buyers who loved our new designs and the Slieve League was a great success at the show. Our new look book created by Rachel and Amanda-Jane went down really well at the show and the feedback was that our products looked fresh and trendy.’’
Rachel is a graduate of the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and was recruited by Hanna Hats in April last year to assist in process improvement and product innovation.
She explained: ‘’I began working for Hanna Hats in April 2018 as part of a Fusion project with InterTrade Ireland. From the very beginning Eleanor welcomed me and all of my ideas with open arms.
‘’We began designing the new collection back in the summer with the idea of mixing the traditional with the contemporary. In order to achieve this, I suggested bringing in new fabrics such as denim, and we also introduced new tweeds with a more modern appeal.
‘’I sourced a more luxurious corduroy and some earthy tone Irish linen. The Hanna’s encouraged me to design some new styles of hats and caps for 2019. I stuck with the theme of contemporary meeting traditional and six new styles were conceived.
‘’Some of these styles are more feminine, in order to expose ourselves to the female market but all of the Hanna Hats’ products are gender neutral. We are very excited to launch these new styles and fabrics at Showcase 2019 in the form of a brand new photo-shoot and look-book.’
Aaron McKeever, Creative and Digital Media Consultant at NWRC’s Business Support Centre added: “We are delighted to be collaborating with InterTradeIreland and Hanna Hats of Donegal on this Fusion project. The project has provided opportunities for Hanna Hats to conduct research into the latest trends in fashion and textiles design and expand their operations.
‘’Rachel is an excellent graduate and has successfully streamlined existing processes leading to the creation of new products and the reduced wastage. The funding provided by InterTradeIreland has had a positive impact on Hanna Hats and we are grateful to continue to be involved in these type of R&D projects.’’
For more information about Hanna Hats visit, https://hannahats.com and if you are interested in the Fusion programme contact the NWRC’s Business Support Centre on businesssupport@nwrc.ac.uk
