Above: Caroline Duffy Passionful silk twill scarf
It’s the start of a new year, which inevitably means time
for self-reflection, as well as looking forward. With this in mind, I have
chosen to examine Caroline Duffy’s silk scarves as part of my Year 2 Textiles
Practice ‘contemporary textiles’ task, since this is a product that has
influenced thoughts on my own textile practice.
Duffy makes colourful floral designs that are printed
onto textiles for use in soft furnishings, art and fashion. She works on a
commission basis, as well as offering ready to buy products for the general
consumer.
Duffy, who studied at the National College of Art
& Design in Dublin, and has 10 years’ experience creating surface and
textile designs for the industry in New York, Sydney and London, creates her
silk scarves by first producing acrylic painted artwork based on flowers. These
include abstract designs as well as Art-Nouveaux-inspired styles. Designs are re-created digitally, then printed
onto fine silk twill with hand-rolled edges in Como, Italy.
With a price range between 175-280 euros (Duffy is
based in Ireland), the scarves target the mid to high end, luxury market, so
Duffy has stiff competition from established luxury brands including Hermès, Liberty,
Fendi, Bulgari et al, yet the brand cleverly sticks to a strict ‘look’, and the
independent work-of-art scarves, limited numbers in each collection, and bold,
colourful style all lead to a unique selling point, and allow her to stand out.
Above: Liberty Lanthe silk twill scarf, 45cm by 45cm
The floral designs have a vibrant feel to them yet they
are abstract enough to appeal to a wide audience. Marketing images on the
website are aimed at females between 20 to 40, but I could see these scarves
being purchased as a birthday or Christmas present for an older lady too, as
well as expanding to the male market. They are not likely to go out of fashion,
and could be used to compliment a business suit, or worn at the beach so
customer reach is huge.
The price of a scarf includes a luxury gift box and
protective packaging, The brand has a simple, professional logo with a dragonfly icon, which could
possibly allude to the fact the designs are influenced by nature. Branding is
visible on all products and the gift boxes. The scarves are a mix of central
design, similar to that of an artwork, as well as a ’kaleidoscope’ design, ie,
turn the scarf any direction and the design still works.
Duffy is an effective marketeer herself, reaching
out to a client base via Instagram, which she kept active during the pandemic
with interactive painting lessons. She has recently taken part in a pop-up shop
event with fellow independent designers and launched a blanket range in a high
end designer store in 2022. Despite printing her scarves in Italy, she is keen
to promote the local and Irish angle of her business, and often appears in
Irish media.
I also love the way she has branched out from scarves
and prints and launched, for example, dresses based on her designs, as well as
blankets, which allows for a versatile business and expansion.
*All information about the Caroline Duff brand
taken from carolineduffydesigns.com.
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