Mayo craft and design businesses at international showcase

SOME of Mayo’s best up and coming craft and design businesses are among more than 100 companies from across Ireland who will get a chance to meet with buyers from all over the world as part of the Local Enterprise Showcase at the 2023 Showcase event in the RDS, running from January 22 to 24.

An initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, the Local Enterprise Showcase is a special area at Showcase that houses a range of Ireland’s newest design talent.

Elaine Kennedy, Hawthorn Handmade Skincare, and Nancy O’Reilly of Herbal Earth Skincare will be attending Showcase 2023 from County Mayo.

Elaine’s simple philosophy is to create skin nourishing products using 100% natural ingredients. Inspired by the picturesque area of Partry, Elaine has decided to take a stand against excessive packaging and controversial ingredients such as palm oil. Her product containers are made from easily recycled glass or aluminium and the outer cartons are FSC certified.

Nancy’s Herbal Earth Skincare products are natural, honest and gentle, combining the best of nature and science to create advanced natural skincare for sensitive skin.

Nancy uses all natural, beautiful ingredients that are safe and astonishingly effective. There are no controversial ingredients, cheap fillers or exaggerated claims in their skincare products, which are made from botanical extracts to exquisite oils.

Herbal Earth’s products are rich in high-performance components carefully selected for their hydrating, brightening, age-defying, anti-pollution properties.

The event, which is a pinnacle event in the global design and crafts calendar, will open its doors to thousands of buyers from across the world, including Ireland, the UK, USA, mainland Europe, Asia and Africa, generating millions of euros of sales orders during the show.

Showcase is presented on behalf of Design & Crafts Council Ireland, with support from Enterprise Ireland in promoting the trade show internationally through their network of offices overseas, and the Local Enterprise Offices nationwide.

Recent participants from Mayo include the likes of Frances McGonigle of Rothlú, who creates exquisite colourful, unusual and lightweight jewellery in her studio in the Ox Mountains using resist techniques like Batik, Sgraffito and Shibori processes.

Gerry Whelan Design, originally Cloch Design, situated in Gortmor, Tourmakeady, has also featured at Showcase. Master craftsman Gerry designs and constructs contemporary products combining Ireland’s past and contemporary future using materials such as local stone, bog oak and Connemara marble.

Each artwork is unique and, in some cases, the natural elements selected to make the individual pieces can be up to 5,000 years old. Gerry Whelan Design also undertakes projects on a commissioned basis and is open to considering work in the architectural and interior design space.

Local Enterprise Office Mayo has been working with Elaine and Nancy on merchandising for their stands, marketing, and sales techniques to ensure they maximise opportunities at the three-day event.

John Magee, head of enterprise, LEO Mayo, believes this is an opportunity like no other for up-and-coming craft and design clients looking to make that breakthrough.

He said: “To be exposed to this many high-quality buyers in one place is an incredible opportunity for any business. If things go well at this event, a business could return with a significant order book and may well establish strong partnerships to help them grow.

“While that won’t happen for every business, just to be here, see other clients, get new ideas and develop their skills in marketing and sales will be of tremendous benefit. I would encourage emerging craft and design businesses to attend Showcase for inspiration and to make valuable contacts.”