Dezeen School Shows: a fashion collection exploring femininity and a sister's bond is among the projects from the National College of Art and Design Ireland.

Also featured is a medical device designed as a holistic treatment for osteoarthritis, and a film exploring the views of theatre-makers.

National College of Art and Design Ireland

Institution: National College of Art and Design Ireland
School: School of Design
Course: BA Fashion, BA Graphic Design, BA Illustration, BA Jewellery and Objects, BA Moving Image Design, BA Product Design, BA Textile and Surface Design, MA Interaction Design, MA Service Design and MSc Medical Device Design
Tutors: Sam Russell, Angela O'Kelly and John Paul Dowling

School statement:

"Design is a cultural, social, political, economic and relational activity that responds creatively to its context, location in time, connections and people.

"At NCAD we seek to nurture, empower and enable our students to become agents of change. The diverse range of work showcased here demonstrates how our graduates are co-creating, co-realising and co-communicating tangible design solutions and opportunities.

"The award-winning School of Design at NCAD offers the most comprehensive range of design education on the island of Ireland. This dynamic environment creates a research-led studio culture that thrives on new ideas, ways of doing things and new areas of expertise.

"The calibre of our undergraduate and postgraduate students continues to be globally recognised, with the college ranked 19th in Europe and 53rd in the World in Art and Design in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025.

"We are extremely proud of this year's graduating students who demonstrate NCAD's belief in the vital contribution that creative practice makes to our society as a force that creates space for care, reflection, innovation and new thinking – all of which are essential to a cohesive and dynamic society and economy."

Stretch Ease by Derek Beegan

"Stretch Ease is a medical device designed to relieve painful leg and foot muscle cramps experienced by hemodialysis patients during treatment.

"Hemodialysis sustains individuals with little or no kidney function by removing waste, toxins and excess fluid from the blood.

"Patients typically endure four-hour sessions every other day, a physically and mentally exhausting process often compared to running a marathon after a full day's work.

"Severe muscle cramping is a common side effect, and patients must remain in bed, unable to stretch.

"Stretch Ease enables safe, comfortable cramp relief, improving comfort and the overall treatment experience for dialysis patients significantly."

Student: Derek Beegan
Course: BA Product Design
Tutors: Martin Ryan, Enda O'Dowd and Maire Kane
Email: derekcbeegan[at]gmail.com

Raining Champions by Delany Bowes

"Rain is often treated as a disruption to sport in Ireland – training is cancelled, matches are called off, and pitches are waterlogged.

"Raining Champions flips this narrative, turning 'bad' weather into a reason to play.

"This five-a-side football tournament positions rain as a key player, celebrating community, fun and humour through shared experience.

"The project includes a full brand identity inspired by rainfall and movement, a bespoke variable typeface, Downpour, reflecting shifting rhythms and a short film capturing the event's spirit – showing how rain can bring us together."

Student: Delany Bowes
Course: BA Graphic Design
Tutors: Kate Brangan, John Paul Dowling, Aoife McInerney and Bobby Tannam
Email: delanybowesdesign[at]gmail.com

Wish You Were Here X by Laoise FitzGerald

"An Irish understanding of home has long been bound to exile. This work inhabits the space between staying and leaving, as the absence of those who depart reshapes the meaning of home.

"Textiles evoke domestic closeness, while scale reflects how emigration looms within the Irish psyche.

"Animation brings memory into motion, tracing evolving connections to those who shape our sense of home through adolescence and early adulthood.

"Rooted in lived experience, the project speaks to a generation displaced by housing precarity and drawn overseas in search of opportunity, balancing loss with joy through playfulness, colour and a childlike nostalgia for what might yet return."

Student: Laoise FitzGerald
Course: BA Illustration
Tutors: Philip Kennedy, John Slade, Tenaya Steed, Jacky Sheridan and Dermot Flynn
Email: fitzgeraldlaoise[at]gmail.com

Theatrics by Sadhbh McDonough

"Good stories often emerge when people are given space to talk. This belief underpins my work, driven by an interest in people and the stories they carry.

"I see storytelling as an exchange that relies on listening as much as creating. Though my primary medium is film, theatre strongly influences my collaborative process.

"This project brings these interests together by asking theatre makers what their relationships with theatre are, and documenting these responses through narrative film, with an emphasis on shared authorship in shaping the final outcome."

Student: Sadhbh McDonough
Course: BA Moving Image Design
Tutors: Rory Hanrahan and David Timmons
Email: smcdonough2505[at]gmail.com

Along the Grain – Tracing Moments of Transition by Orla O'Reilly

"Pairing natural materials with silver, my practice explores the emotions and energy held within the objects around us through minimal, purposeful forms.

"Along the Grain – Tracing Moments of Transition uses cow horn to capture the fleeting intensity of life, its force, flow and ungraspable nature.

"The colour gradients within the horn's grain crystallise a moment of speed and transition, reflecting the dynamic energy that shapes our experiences.

"Bold, fluid forms draw on the material's inherent qualities to create a strong, distinctive aesthetic identity."

Student: Orla O'Reilly
Course: BA Jewellery and Objects
Tutors: Cóilín O'Dubhghaill and Sé O'Donoghue
Email: reilly.orla323[at]gmail.com

Arid Origins by Sofia Pennington

"Arid Origins is a womenswear textile collection inspired by the Moroccan desert, reflecting on desertification across African landscapes.

"Faded rusts, ochres and metallics capture the warmth of arid terrain, while energetic accents draw from adaptive desert plant life.

"Screen printing, digital printing and hand painting create layered, abstract textures throughout.

"Built on responsibly sourced natural bases, silk, organic wool and cotton, the collection minimises dyeing and water processing at every stage. Timeless, interchangeable pieces designed for the conscious consumer."

Student: Sofia Pennington
Course: BA Textile and Surface Design
Tutors: Samantha Corcoran, Andrew Campbell, Rachel Tuffy and Katie Hanlan
Email: penningtonsofia1[at]gmail.com

Footsteps by Aoife Scully

"How can an experience become a bridge between the present and the past, helping us hold onto the memories of those we've lost?

"This project takes a critical design approach to produce an interactive experience and digital scrapbook that seeks to disrupt the societal taboo surrounding grief.

"As social beings, we thrive on connection, yet grief is often treated as something we must face alone.

"Footsteps creates a space where people can process their grief in their own time, if and when they choose, while still feeling supported and understood by others going through similar times."

Student: Aoife Scully
Course: BA Interaction Design
Tutors: Marc Hanratty and Jennifer Groarke
Email: aoifescully19[at]gmail.com

Grab a Seat at the Table by Samuel Connolly

"Trust is declining, particularly among young people who feel excluded from political systems, civic processes and public spaces.

"Traditional consultations are often too formal and inaccessible, leaving youth doubtful that their voice matters or creates real change. This growing disillusionment has resulted in low participation and weakened civic engagement.

"Grab a Seat at the Table addresses this by making participation visible and accessible. Through a public installation and digital platform, young people engage in informal AI-guided conversations.

"Their input is summarised and transformed into shareable outputs, closing the feedback loop, rebuilding trust and providing organisations with insights into public sentiment."

Student: Samuel Connolly
Course: MA Interaction Design
Tutor: Marc Hanratty
Email: samuelkennethconnolly[at]gmail.com

FoodCloud Connect by Anna Davies

"FoodCloud Connect is a speculative community skills directory developed with FoodCloud to support connection and learning across Ireland's surplus food network.

"The project responds to how valuable knowledge often exists in isolation, scattered between individuals and organisations.

"FoodCloud Connect brings this expertise into view through a shared digital space where volunteers, staff and partners can collaborate, share knowledge and support one another.

"By making latent capacity visible, the service helps create constellations of collaboration, mobilising people, resources and knowledge to strengthen community-led food systems and enable more resilient and connected communities.

"This is an academic project developed in collaboration with FoodCloud, not yet realised by FoodCloud."

Student: Anna Davies
Course: MA Service Design
Tutor: Jennifer Groarke
Email: annajamesdavies[at]gmail.com

Suni by Ally Moorehead

"A gateway to enable a controlled localised delivery of a hydrogel therapeutic to treat osteoarthritis. This project takes a holistic approach to the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) through the use of hydrogels.

"The research takes a broad view of patient care and the multidisciplinary team that treats OA in multiple contexts.

"Human-centred research informs an iterative approach to building and testing prototypes, producing a well-considered and resolved final design proposal.

"This human-centred approach to medical device design allows the consideration of the design through multiple lenses before investing heavily in engineering and validation."

Student: Ally Moorehead
Course: MSc Medical Device Design
Tutors: Derek Vallence and Enda O'Dowd
Email: morehead.ally[at]gmail.com

Unspoken by Elspeth Maloney

"Unspoken explores femininity and nostalgia through the bond between sisters, communicated through glances, shared moments and silent understanding.

"Hand techniques including crochet, embroidery and smocking merge traditional femininity with unexpected contrasts: volume and softness, playfulness and restraint.

"Rooted in a female-dominated upbringing and shaped by a mother who nurtured an appreciation for texture and detail, the collection uses clean palettes and experimental fabrics to reflect sisterhood, pieces that complement and subtly contrast, much like siblings themselves."

Student: Elspeth Maloney
Course: BA Fashion
Tutors: Linda Byrne, Natalie B Coleman, Sandra Cotter and Katie Hanlan
Email: elspethmoloney[at]gmail.com

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and National College of Art and Design Ireland. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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