Christine Murphy is the creator and owner of Urban Aran, an independent Irish knitwear business. Following a diverse path to self-employment she embarked on a journey of career transformation with a passion for sustainable design-led knitwear. Drawing inspiration from her experience in Aran stitches growing up and a deep-rooted connection to street art and admiration of professional street murals, Christine combined both loves into a slow made fashion collection.
The catalyst for Urban Aran came from the captivating Waterford Walls project, where professional art seamlessly merges with city landscapes, transforming them into natural art exhibitions. Urban Aran encapsulates the essence of her brand. “The term ‘Urban’ reflects my deep appreciation for urban landscapes. It is the imagery from cityscapes and professional street art in my home city, to minute detail including peeling paint on walls, which inspires my drawings and designs.
“The brand is a testament to my unwavering passion for the craft, blending colourful close-ups of wall murals with heritage Aran stitchwork, meticulously crafted using jacquard knitting techniques on state-of-the-art machines.”
In 2018, having become pregnant with her second daughter Christine's unique aesthetic and creative dream took shape, leading her to establish Urban Aran. She contacted her Local Enterprise Office in Waterford and availed of a priming grant as well as business mentoring and support for developing her website, and attendance at a trade show. “My relationship with the Waterford Local Enterprise Office has opened so many doors for me.”
Following a launch of her first fashion collection during the pandemic in October 2021 Waterford LEO invited Christine to meet King Charles on his visit to the city. This was due to his particular interest in the United Kingdom’s wool industry as Chair of the Campaign for Wool in the U.K. “He spoke to me at length about protecting farmers and using non synthetic fibres. This inspired me to make my current collection using natural luxury fibres only.”
Christine was proud to be asked to be an ambassador for this year’s National Women’s Enterprise Day, “I have interacted with the LEO for years and attended the NWED before, so was delighted to be asked to be an ambassador. The programme this year as always is geared to support women in business, and I’m thrilled to be involved.”
While Christine's previous career in luxury hospitality management may seem unrelated, it played a pivotal role in honing her eye for design and nurturing her love for fabric, yarn, and textiles. Christine worked for over 20 years in senior management roles in the luxury hotel industry. Through a flexible learning course at Limerick College of Art and Design, Christine delved into the art of deconstructing Aran stitching techniques, further fuelling her creativity.
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Urban Aran can be found at www.urbanaran.com
Photo by Neal Byrne Photography.