Rhyme with Reason: Irish Tapestry Studio puts Sustainability First

“Ninety percent of carpets are made with non-sustainable synthetic fiber. That same percentage also goes to waste.” Leading a sustainable campaign to revitalize wool production and design heritage in Ireland, New York-based Dubliner Claire McGovern is the voice behind the award winning Rhyme Studios, a contemporary carpentry and tapestry atelier featured in the NY Times, LUXE, AD, NY Mag, Irish Times and now Creativo. Interior designer, curator and art advisor McGovern is a multi-hyphenate designer whose career includes working with Fortune 500 companies, experimental lighting manufacturers, operating an acclaimed art and design gallery on the West Coast, and of course, Rhyme Studios, handcrafted in Ireland.

In her mission to pave the way to longevity and resiliency in Ireland’s design industry, McGovern’s design studio employs environmentally-friendly Irish wool and legacy craftsmanship from 1000 year old mills. In combination with her Irish Heritage, European roots, and current East Coast residency, McGovern credits her attention to sustainability to her time in California. On St. Patrick’s Day, McGovern gives me an insightful tour to her latest exhibition - Fibre as Legacy: Preserving Irish Wool, Celebrating Irish Artistry on the Upper East Side. Her contemporary Irish wool carpets are showcased for the first time in conjunction with rare antique century-old Donegal carpets. Celebrating Ireland’s rich textile heritage, the must-see exhibition spotlights a remarkable collection of hand-tufted carpets, tapestries, and fine wall art using authentic native Irish wool.

The exhibition features a melange of McGovern’s collections including her debut series Insula, which references seventh century Irish monastic art and manuscripts through Om, a later series featuring ancient Irish Ogham alphabet. Her rug and tapestry designs are in the permanent collection at the private residence for the Irish Ambassador to the United Nations, Geraldine Byrne Nason, in New York. Modernity, her latest series, tips a hat to the works of Irish designer 20th century modernists Eileen Gray and Kazimir Malevich.

But where does Rhyme Studios begin their process? If you haven’t guessed yet - Ireland. Irish sheep are some of the happiest in the world and the quality of their wool is richer as a result. But despite the fact that Irish sheep farmers oversee the globe’s healthiest herds, fashion brands, even those committed to slow fashion, favor Australian and New Zealand Merino wool. The demand for this thinner wool has created a predicament in which strict standards inhibit Ireland from supplying thicker wool to the global fashion industry. McGovern is trying to change that conversation one step at a time.

By combining thicker wool with carpentry, Rhyme Studios has created an effective match. Though the studio has to compete with industry furniture giants that favor cheaper, synthetic materials - tapestry and carpentry have created inways in the design space, and perhaps too will one day open the doors of Irish production to a more open fashion and garment industry.

In order to create their stellar customizable, sculptural floor and wall art, Rhyme studios works in partnership with Irish farmers in Galway to source their wool. Galway Wool Co-op is a compassionate, farmer-owned and run co-operative of lowland sheep breeders. They produce Ireland’s only native, purebred, heritage grown bio-fibre officially recognized by Ireland’s government. The wool is then spun into yarn in collaboration with the thousand year old Donegal Mill, in a mission to revitalize Irish wool manufacturers. The curator on Donegal: “Donegal Yarns is located at the heard of a spinning, weaving and knit tradition in Kicar, Donegal that has been passed down over many centuries... the ear tradition of weaving sadly did not survive in many countries but did remain alive and well in this part of the North West. By Genuine Donegal Tweed, derived from a sustainably made, heritage fiber by Donegal Yarns that has since earned world, Donegal Yarns, Rhyme Studio & Galway Wool Co-op have teamed up to translate beautiful Galway Wool eco-fiber into cutting edge carpet, tapestry, and textile design.

“There are many benefits to Irish wool, enough that it has prompted scientists in Cork to do tests and research on it. As a protein, it contains unique properties with medicinal and health benefits” McGovern explains. Rhyme Studios’ yarn is naturally water resistant, naturally flame retardant, traceable, anti-dust mite, thermal, and antimicrobial. Unlike the too-soft Merino wool, it can even remove chemicals from cigarette smoke. Contrary to popular misconception, McGovern emphasizes that the material is the most breathable fiber there is. The material itself filter air, offering clients a healthy complement to their homes and other spaces. It is no wonder that ancient castles and fortresses favored tapestry design within their walls, as the vegetable dyes and natural wool bettered ventilation and air quality. Rhyme Studios uses vibrant non-toxic dyes, but McGovern is interested in also utilizing hardcore ecological traditional vegetable dyes like beetroot in a future collection. At the end of it all, the resistant and sustainable wool will after many years, eventually biodegrade, stimulating a renewable energy cycle, unlike synthetic landfills.

Rhyme Studios lives and breathes Ireland. Not only does the designer utilize Irish source material in its creations, but also takes its design inspiration from Celtic mythology and culture. Spirals. Harps. Snakes. The Ogham Alphabet. These motifs are, by intentional metaphor, interwoven into the fabric of Irish identity and the mythos of the atelier - all with a contemporary twist.

For example, Rhyme Studio’s Bainin (little white one as Gaelige) collection features sculptured (carved and penciled service) pieces in “natural, untreated creamy white qualities of highly resilient yet soft heritage eco-fibre wool from native Galway sheep”. Works on display such as the big fiber “Spiralis” echo the Ireland’s iconic Aran Islands sweater design - popularized by Elvis Presely and JFK - which as a consequence Irish wool industry’s decline, are unfortunately no longer crafted with authentic Galway wool. Sprialis pays homage to the fighting spirit to bring back a thriving wool industry as an Irish form of expression.

Furthermore, Rhyme studio re-imagines the mythological snake in another standout collection. While in Chinese culture, is the Year of the Snake - a symbol of renewal, wisdom and “shedding one’s skin”, snakes in Irish culture are commonly associated with the coinciding holiday of St. Patrick’s, the saint known for banishing “the snakes” from Ireland. The legend is a symbolic stand-in for representing the triumph of spreading Christianity over pagan beliefs in the form of the snake’s motif for temptation and sin. However, in celtic mythology, the snakes also represent creation, fertility, healing, and rebirth in similarity with the Chinese tradition.

An especially customizable series is the OM collection, which utilizes the wool to create large scale, heightened tapestries and carpets featuring the ancient Irish language to spell out harmonious works such as peace. The minimalist and sculptural effectiveness of the lined glyphs complements the negative space of the wool’s design, thus delivering a truly magnificent modern wall piece. Color waves and lettering can be personalized.

For those interested in projects that prioritize the environment and wellness to the upmost degree, Rhyme Studio’s collection Black Sheep draws from its namesake material - black wool from Irish Zwartbles sheep. McGovern seeks to reclaim the marginalization of dark wool, despite being considered subpar by fashion and design sources.”Black Sheep celebrates a resilient and organic fiber for carpet and textile creation that was traditionally considered social outcast due to its inability to be dyed for garments and more, unlike white wool. However, Rhyme Studios believes that the argument for its weakness is actually a strength. Undyed, the dark wool removed the coloring process, inherently creating a more sustainable pipeline to the finish carpetry.

Grown directly from Irish nature, the dark fiber easily hides dirt and can be celebrated as the material in its natural conceived state. In addition to its renewable and antimicrobial properties, the dark wool also makes an impact aesthetically. The hanging pieces made with the chocolate-colored fiber provide a rich contrast to the white walls that frame them. A notable standout is in the shape of a clairseach, the Celtic harp, which forms a stunning monochromatic statement piece.

Additionally, black wool is used in part of a new series Luxury Doormat, whose designs form a triad: “Geometry”, “Cornu”, and “Eye Amulet”: and ode to the Irish evil eye. The curation states “Using wool sourced from an unfairly devalued Irish woolen market and made by hand in Ireland, this is an environmentally sound product made from renewable fibers that can easily be cleaned and will just biodegrade at the end of their natural lifecycle. It is an alternative to the ubiquitous, non recyclable, synthetic or rubber doormats accompanied by the widespread designer recommendation so that they can be discarded or thrown into a landfill every 6 to 24 months.

Thus, pieces are created with intention. Offered in both limited unique collections and customizable patterns, Rhyme Studio’s tapestries and carpets are meant to exist with an owner for decades and be passed on as family heirlooms. Smaller pieces retail for $1600 USD, while more customized designs can fetch upwards of $5900 USD. Rhyme Studios works with commercial and cultural institutions that prioritize innovative sustainable design and Irish allyship, including the Irish Embassy in Washington, D.C. In a culture of overconsumption, carpets and art works like these are proving ever important in the curation of legacy and preservation. When paired with ancient vintage Donegal tapestries from the early 20th century, it is clear for the viewer to understand how well the vibrant colors and wool material retains its luster. It is through this perspective and by this standard that McGovern and Rhyme Studio operates - one that services creations that will be used and appreciated by future generations and looked upon in awe and respect, for their kin and of course, Ireland.