ÚNA BURKE

Timeless, sculptural, distinctly complex

BRAND

Úna Burke leather accessories are timeless, elegant, considered and sculptural.  They are designed for the discerning customer who appreciates quality and creativity.  All styles are crafted entirely by hand in the Úna Burke Atelier in South London and are made using only the best Vegetable Tanned leathers and solid brass fittings from the UK and Italy, earning the brand the 'Positive Luxury Butterfly Trust Mark'.  With such an avant garde design style, it's little wonder that the brand has developed such a strong celebrity following all over the world.  These include Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Heidi Klum, Lebanese singer and actress Haifa Wehbe, Taiwanese popstar Elva and fashion icon Daphne Guinness.  Collections regularly appear in publications such as Vogue, i-D, Collezioni and Numero and they are stocked in stores worldwide.
 
Aside from seasonal collections, Úna regularly collaborates with other designers and brands including unisex brand Unconditional, Hong Kong boutique Joyce, lingerie label Lascivious, glassware company The Irish Handmade Glass Company, Illustrator Spiros Halaris.  She has produced costumes for high profile film and stage performances including an arm brace for Jennifer Lawrence, aka Katniss Everdeen, in The Hunger Games and several pieces for the lead character in a Baroque Opera Performance at Innsbruck Festival of Early Music. Other projects include commissions for big name brands such a L’Oreal and Fox Network.

DESIGNER

Úna Burke is a multi-award winning Luxury Leather Accessories Designer and Artist.  Using traditional leather-working techniques in her distinctly complex constructions, Úna makes both seasonal fashion accessories collections and sculptural art pieces.  The accessories collections are concept based and there are often human stories behind the designs since influence is taken from psychological, military and medical sources.  The Art pieces are figurative in form and are developed on a commission basis for private art collections, public exhibitions and museum archives. Úna's clients and collaborators include Phillip Lim, Seoul's Simone Handbag Museum, The National Museum of Ireland and and Nick Knights creative laboratory 'SHOWstudio'.
 
Studying for her Masters in Fashion Artefact at the prestigious Cordwainers College at the London College of Fashion, Úna's graduate collection won the 2009 Design Award for Best Static Collection. She set up her eponymous fashion label shortly afterwards and went on to win several more national and international awards, including ‘Irish Designer of the Year' and nomination for WGSN’s Global Fashion Awards in New York. Úna‘s work has been exhibited in over twenty countries throughout Europe, Asia, USA and the Middle East.