Amelia Boys: Stone Meets Foliage

“Stone meets Foliage” explores how domestic crafts, Irish symbolism, and nature can be subverted and elevated through fashion design and textile installation. It answers the question, “Where does my connection to womanhood and my Irish heritage lie within the intersection between fiber, craft, and foliage?” Crafts historically coded as women’s work were taught to me by my mother and my grandmother, intrinsically tying textiles to my relationship with womanhood.

Taking inspiration from the Claddagh and my experience traveling the coast of Ireland with my family, I found that the seaweed encasing rocks on the beach and the moss creeping onto white stone lend themselves to a visual language that allows softness to exist within strength—reflecting what it means to be a woman, daughter, and sister. The collection uses juxtaposition of proportion, texture, and materials to communicate this story.