Adel Hickey has been submerged in the fashion industry for years. After graduating in fashion design at NCAD, Adel went straight into working with John Rocha, before going on to work with Lainey Keogh. Now, Adel has finally taken the leap and launched her own label – ‘on’ (meaning ‘one’, she explains).

It is the fragility and elegance of the fabrics, and the feminine feel you get when you wear the clothes, that define ‘on’ as a fresh collection. Adel has launched her label in Aura, and Kalu in Naas but, with the increasing demand for her creations, you will soon be seeing lots more of her distinctive pieces.

“On came about because it is very close to me,” she explains. “Everything I make is a limited edition, I am very much an organic designer where the emphasis is on how the garments make you feel.”

You may be wondering why it’s taken Adel Hickey this long to launch her own collection. It’s obvious from talking to her that she has the passion and spark – but not the naivete associated with a fresh graduate out of college.

“I think the reason it took me so long is the experience I gained from working with both John Rocha and Lainey Keogh. I knew all the reasons why I shouldn’t get involved in the design business.”

The 1995 Cannes film festival was Adel’s first taste of recognition. It was the John Boorman film Two Nudes Bathing that won Lainey Keogh best costume designer and gave Adel Hickey her first taste of real appreciation for her designs.

“I worked very closely with Lainey on that project and did all the patterns and the fabrics for the costumes; so it was great to see my work displayed in that way.”

You can see from Adel’s collection that her work is not trend-inspired or designed to keep in line with fashion forecasts. The inspirations that spark off Adel’s collections are found through other avenues.

“My work is from within,” she says. “I love old painting; I could read a poem or a biography on someone, and be inspired to design a collection around that.

“My favourite artist is the French painter Modigliani. I love the women in his work. There is a great sadness in that man’s life and in his paintings. I seem to be drawn, and inspired by, sadness. Frida Kahlo is another person who had a horrendous life but was very inspiring, for years I have based my work around her.”