Clothing and Memory: Hilary O'Kelly’s Reflections on Dress and Identity

Hello and welcome to the Desert Island Dress podcast with myself, Dee Duffy and herself, Katriona Flynn. This week we are joined by ...  Dress historian & academic, Hilary O’Kelly   Hilary teaches fashion and dress history & theory as part of the Critical Cultures programme at the National College of Art & Design in Dublin.   Hilary's knowledge and insight into garment context, purpose and societal construct are thought-provoking and hugely considered, but more than anything Hilary is the most engaging and engaged lecturer and academic. Ask anyone who has studied fashion, textiles or Jewellery at NCAD and the name Hilary O'Kelly will be amongst their most important and fondest memories.   Hilary's book Cleo: Irish Clothes in a Wider World – is a study of Cleo - one of Dublin's oldest clothing businesses. In it, Hilary documents the store’s promotion and preservation of Irish traditional clothing and crafts.   Hilary’s own passion for clothing, be it the clothing itself or the making processes, and the memories and storytelling around these aspects, is beautiful and so important in our conversations around dress.   We truly were honoured to head down memory lane with Hilary through the medium of HER clothes and the stories they tell.   This is the Desert Island Dress podcast.