Discover how small, intentional material choices can transform global fashion with Cúpla Snáithe and Floral & Fred’s hands-on upcycling workshop.
Does the future of textiles start with one thread?
Cúpla Snáithe and Floral & Fred invite you to explore material culture, history, and radical sustainability. This collaborative workshop reframe’s Ireland’s native fibre ecosystem as a blueprint for hyper-local production.
Discover the 5% philosophy, a design hack proving eco-design requires no total supply chain overhaul. By injecting just 5% native Irish fibre into decorative stitching or structural darning, you instantly bring cultural restoration into modern garment workflows.
Following a visual journey tracing Irish textiles, we shift into a hands-on prototyping session. Guided by Floral & Fred, you will use a curated Cúpla Snáithe Material Kit filled with pure, native Irish wool to practice localised circular design solutions.
What to bring: Please bring a garment from home to upcycle (an old knit, denim, or jacket). You will leave with a refreshed, personalised piece carrying a physical link to Irish heritage. Discover how small, intentional material choices can transform global fashion.
Reflecting the Theme: Fáilte Future Europe
Cúpla Snáithe × Floral & Fred’s workshop directly embodies the Fáilte Future Europe theme by demonstrating how regional innovation can solve global ecological challenges. By reframing Ireland’s native fibre ecosystem as a blueprint for hyper-local production, this workshop pairs the cultural welcoming of traditional heritage with a forward-looking European sustainability agenda. Cúpla Snáithe’s The workshop is held on the ground floor of the Harry Clarke House Building at NCAD (100 Thomas St).
The Harry Clarke Lecture Theatre and the adjacent NCAD Gallery spaces are fully wheelchair accessible with step-free street and campus entrance access. A single-stall, all-gender, accessible bathroom is located right in the foyer of the adjoining NCAD Gallery building.
5% philosophy serves as a scalable, micro-intervention for the circular economy, proving that Europe’s green transition does not require a total supply chain overhaul, but rather small, intentional material choices. By inviting the community to actively upcycle their own garments using native Irish wool, we bridge the gap between historical craftsmanship and the future of sustainable, sovereign European design.
Wheelchair Accessible • Suitable for 12+
Sponsored by:
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Irish Design Week 2026
