How Shonagh Murray, the Inspiring Designer of Up-and-Coming Fashion Brand Shone, Juxtaposes the Norm of Knitwear and Celebrates The Importance of Individuality.

Tia Giles interviewing Shone Murray, designer of SHONE.

Inspirational, determined, humble, courageous – these are just a few words that come to mind after speaking to Shonagh Murray. Her indispensable and unique brand, SHONE, stole the limelight this year at Fashion Show Live which took place during London Fashion Week, quickly becoming the talking point of the night as her crochet designs took to the runway. Shonagh, a young, up-and-coming designer, veiled her designs under the theme of ‘Girlhood Nostalgia’, with knitted dresses and tops juxtaposing the norm of knitwear and celebrating the “girlie” things in life. Speaking of her experiences in the fashion industry and her recent successes, I discuss with Shonagh the idea of trusting the process, how to challenge issues of self-doubt and how she maintains individuality in a world where this is sometimes compromised.

At some point, many of us will have attempted to either crochet, knit, sew - or you never know, maybe even all three! Whether that be trying your hand at making a square or an item of clothing. Regardless of how successful this endeavour may have been for you, I am sure nothing quite compares to the incredible craftsmanship that lies behind some of SHONE’s pieces. Knitting since 2017 and “not stop[ing] since” Shonagh has used it as her very own “creative coping mechanism”. Shonagh tells me as we stand for our interview, “I just really fell in love with the knitting process [and] so over the years, it just kind of evolved [and] I found my passion in chunky yarn…and then it just ended up getting chunkier and chunkier to this point”, she points over at just one of the many successful designs in her collection; a thick, chunky open knitted baby pink top. As mentioned before, her runway collection this year is inspired by Girlhood Nostalgia, which Shonagh tells me is “all about reconnecting with our inner child and finding that purer sense of happiness through play and having fun with fashion”.

Openly speaking of her own self-doubt, I asked Shonagh whether there was any truth to the phrase trust the process when creating a fashion brand. “Yes absolutely”, she affirms, “trust the process, trust yourself as an artist; I think that’s really important […] there’s so many points where I could have lost hope in what I was doing because it’s a hard industry, it can knock your self-esteem”. “I’ve always had self-esteem issues”, she tells me, “and indulging in those has never got me far, so the thing for me is just always maintaining that belief in myself and using the support from people around me”. Despite her challenges with self-doubt, Shonagh continues that “all the times where [she] didn’t lose hope, makes it worth it”, instilling the idea that despite hardships, the end target is worth waiting and pushing for.

Shonagh’s “first real vote of confidence that [she] could do more editorial high fashion” came from The Vivienne on RuPaul’s’ Drag Race All Stars 7, where SHONE’s knitted dress adorned the winner of the episode. Speaking of this experience, Shonagh says that “to be given that trust and then to also be on such an iconic stage and shown worldwide [..] I was like okay, I’ve got this.” Bringing about great success and possibility for SHONE and it’s collections, this opportunity not only propelled Shonagh’s belief in herself and her capability, but it also pushed her brand towards becoming recognisable, as what she made was “something pretty unique” and something that “nobody else” had noticeably created before.

In all her pieces, Shonagh uses plant-based yarn to make her designs come to life and so sustainability remains an integral part of her brand. With large amounts of the fashion industry succumbing to a throw-away culture, it is imperative for brands to maintain a commitment towards being a sustainable fashion line. According to the Business Waste website, ‘about 30% of unwanted clothes end up in UK landfill sites’, with an ‘estimated £140 million worth of clothing go[ing] to landfill in the UK every year’ too. Shonagh believes “knowledge and education” when considering this issue is key to helping. “I think a lot of people aren’t really aware of the effects of [throw-away fashion] and how detrimental [it can be]”. Thinking about some of the potential solutions, apps such as Vinted and viral trends such as Charity Shop Shopping are helping to improve and increase the interest in reusable fashion over new fast-fashion creatives. “That’s the most exciting and thrilling part about fashion for me”, Shonagh says when talking about second-hand clothing, “just going somewhere and not knowing what you’re going to find in a charity shop or a thrift or on Vinted […] it’s half the price and it’s already created!”. As Shonagh suggests, I think it’s an important message to remember that we can still be creative with fashion even by reusing and recycling old trends and styles. Once “everyone finds their personal style, that’s a really effective way of reducing that need to just constantly find a new aesthetic”.

The design process for SHONE, I’m told, starts with “a concept”, which is then built upon through “trial and error”. “Sometimes”, Shonagh tells me, “I have an idea in my head, and it doesn’t quite work out, so again, you trust the process and you just amend what you need to amend”. With many of Shonagh’s inspirations stemming from the likes of designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, SHONE captures uniqueness at the heart of the designers’ collections. “There’s something about them that really captured a passion for me in my heart”, says Shonagh, “I got into fashion because of them!”. I also think the fact that SHONE is named after this incredible designer herself, further liberates the idea of individualism and being proud of who you are and what you create.

Speaking to Shonagh, I left our conversation feeling incredibly inspired and to embrace not letting self-doubt get in the way of achieving great things. I cannot wait to see more of SHONE designs and to watch Shonagh Murray thrive in the industry that she was destined to be a part of, building up confidence and her own individuality one stitch at a time.

Written and photographed by Tia Giles (@limitlesswriting_).