The Inis Meáin Knitting Company is a mainstay on Eire’s Aran Islands. Recently we spoke with co-owner Marie-Thérèse de Blacam about the couturier’s past, present and future.

I am from Midleton in East Cork and grew up by a typical Irish country town in the 1980s. I was educated in an Irish-speaking secondary school near Cork City which led me on a path to an Entrepreneurship Degree through Irish at Dublin City University. 

After graduating, I worked in business and marketing in Ireland and internationally while completing a 4-year diploma in Fashion Design by night. 

For the last 18 years I have been living on Inis Meáin in the Aran Islands, Galway, with my husband Ruairí de Blacam, who is a native of the island. 

Inis Meáin Knitting Company was founded by Ruairí’s parents, Tarlach and Áine de Blacam in 1976, as part of the island co-operative at the time, to provide proper employment to the women of the island, as many of the men were occupied with farming and fishing. Ruairí and I took over the management of the company in January of 2023 to continue his parent’s legacy and life-time achievement. Currently, we are the main employer on a tiny island community of 180 people, helping to sustain a remote population and share a culture with a worldly audience.

 Inis Meáin is rich in culture, and this is referenced in our designs – the island holds endless inspiration in the landscape and seascape.

 We design and make uniquely rugged, yet refined, small-batch knitwear that is inspired by the exceptional nature and rich culture of our location. Our sweaters are a culmination of 50 years of design evolution, all to make sweaters that feel like a second skin, like something that one has worn their entire life. Our wardrobe is one of hardy practicality for the outdoors combined with Sunday bests and fits for the long boat or plane journey into town.

When someone walks into a room wearing one of our pieces, people take notice – our understated and subtle design is devoid of logos or branding but oozing confidence and originality. It is a celebration of the human hand and real luxury. 

 inismeain.ie