Inis Meáin

Inis Meáin is an Irish designer knitwear label, founded on the island of Inis Meáin in the Aran Islands in 1976 by Tarlach de Blácam and Áine Ní Chonghaile. Tarlach, a Celtic Languages graduate of Trinity College Dublin, came to the island in the late 1960s to immerse himself in its language and culture; Áine was a native islander teaching in Dublin. They married in 1973 and started the company in the island's spirit of independence and resourcefulness. Its luxury knitwear draws on the traditional dress of the Aran Islanders, including fishermen's ganseys and workwear. The range includes Aran and cable knits, roll necks, knitted jackets, coats, tunics, scarves and blankets, with signature pieces such as the Cashmere Aran Sweater, the Boatbuilder sweater, the Carpenter's Jacket and the Patented Aran Blanket. Everything is designed, knitted and hand-finished on the island. The company uses modern machinery but chooses not to mass produce, specialising in small runs of new styles in merino wool, cashmere, linen, alpaca and silk. Inis Meáin is sold through prestige retailers worldwide and at its own factory shop on the island.