‘There are days when the drawings will not come. I think: ‘Okay, that’s it. It’s finished. Pack up and go home to Ballyheigue.’”

Don O’ Neill, creator of the Theia fashion brand trails off. He is holding a swatch of exquisite satin that has been exclusively printed in Italy for his spring collection. At that moment, his genius becomes clear. It is this genuine humility and fear that the inspiration might not come that makes Don the brilliant designer that he is, pushing himself to constantly explore new ideas and shapes.

As he says these words, I’ve been placed at his desk so that I can really feel his world. We are in his studio in downtown New York. There are rolls of fabric and exotic samples of beads and sequins everywhere. Dozens of coloured pens are stuffed into containers.

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Series of drawings fi ll every space on the wall, mostly on A4 sheets. All the dresses are detailed down to the last bead; and the models have his signature long legs. On the floor lies a life-sized dress design. There are two other desks there for his assistants, Joanne and Victoria. His dedicated pattern maker, Linda, interprets his drawings. It is impossible to imagine the detail.

I’m reminded of the open tail of a peacock, such is the beauty of the colours and patterns. The first beaded samples of the dresses are made by Lixieng,a needlework specialist, so that each gown can be viewed and checked. Don’s three in-house seamstresses make up the dresses and many are beaded abroad.

This man does not understand his own talent and hence he has absolutely no pretentions, but instead a word for everyone and a deep love of Ireland. It has been a hard slog to get to where he is today, but now he is becoming internationally acclaimed, with celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey wearing his creations.

The design process

I’ll declare an interest here. I’ve known Don O’Neill for over 25years and he has always been drawing. I begin to leaf through the pile of drawings on the desk. Some are outline sketches but, even so, the sophistication of the Theia brand shines through. Others have had colour added.

One particular drawing catches my eye. It is a dress of subtle blues and silvers. The beads are designed in swirls coming up from the floor. The movement of the dress is already visible as it swirls and flows, emphasising a tight waist and carrying the elegance through the shoulder and bust line.

Even though Don’s in full flight on some aspect of the fashion industry that he knows so well, I pick up the drawing and turn it towards him.

“That’s the start of the spring collection,” he says. I probe. I want to understand the process:

“How did you get to this, Don?” Pascal, Don’s handsome fiancé, grins and winks at me.

He likes my question. At that point, I understand how this relationship is as much the foundation of Theia as the ocean and sands of Ballyheigue beach, the haute couture of Paris, the Bergdorf Goodman suits that his late mother Mim used to wear, the wilderness of Kerry, and the culture of Ireland. For Don O’Neill, design is an expression of emotion, love, hurt, loss and triumph. His dresses speak to the heart of the woman.

Last year, Mim died after a short illness. Don was crushed with grief for his beautiful mother. That emotion is evident in the splashes of colour and deep elegance that we see in his autumn collection for 2013. As time makes the grief less intense, the emotion is expressed in determined swirls of passion. There is continuity about the design. The heart of the artist is on display.

“It all began with a walk,” Don explains. “Pascal and I went for a walk in the Botanical Gardens of New York. There the inspiration began.”

They found themes, colours and patterns that will represent the rebirth of spring and make women feel like princesses, and the goddess Theia.

Home to Kerry

My next meeting with Don was backstage in the Dome in Tralee, where he was readying his models for the Rose of Tralee fashion show.

“Pack up and go home to Ballyheigue” had taken on a new meaning as he and Pascal unpacked 20 dresses for the show.

I watched Don encouraging a young model, coaching her in how best to show off his dress.

“Relax into it, put your weight on this leg, feel comfortable,” he urged in his gentle and confident voice. Then it was onto the ramp to practice. Girls were walking on cue, Pascal was defining lighting arrangements, their specially chosen music was booming and two workmen were on their knees shining the ramp.

And then there was Don, in the middle of them, tall and handsome in his sunset jacket: a gentleman, an artist and a friend perfectly mastering the showing of his Theia collection in his beloved Kerry.

This article was orginally published in August 2013