“_Una Burke Leather Accessories are timeless, elegant, considered and sculptural... ...for the discerning customer who appreciates quality and creativity”
_“There are at least fifteen stages in the making of each of our pieces, and I use almost all of my senses throughout these processes. I hear when my knives need sharpening as they make a dull, chalky noise; I feel if a strap is cut perfectly by running it blindly through my fingers, I smell for the tannin quality and I see and feel for any scarring or damage on its surface. This is a multi sensory and even a medatative experience” _Una Burke
Designer_
Úna Burke is a London based Leatherworker, Designer and Artist. She holds a Masters in Fashion Artefact from the prestigious Cordwainers College at the London College of Fashion, where her graduate collection ‘RE.TREAT’, won the 2009 Design Award for Best Static Collection. She set up her fashion label shortly afterwards, winning further national and international awards, including Irish Designer of the Year and nomination for WGSN’s Global Fashion Awards in New York. Using vegetable-tanned bovine leather and gold coated brass fittings, Burke brings together traditional techniques and contemporary aesthetics. With her distinctly complex constructions, she makes both seasonal fashion collections and figurative art pieces. The fusion of her four passions; Craft, Fashion, Fine Art and Psychology, results in her work having a very unique aesthetic and ethos. Her work has been exhibited in over twenty countries throughout Europe, Asia, USA and the Middle East and her pieces are coveted by collectors and high profile clients alike, such as Rihanna, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Cindy Crawford , Fifth Harmony, Jill Kargman and Nicki Minaj.
Brand_
Úna Burke Leather launched in 2010, producing pieces which are timeless, elegant, considered and sculptural. They are designed for the discerning customer who appreciates quality and creativity. Each piece is crafted entirely by hand in the Úna Burke Atelier, using top quality vegetan leather from the UK and Italy, earning the brand the ‘Positive Luxury Butterfly Trust Mark’. Fashion Collections include Belts, Bags, Jewellery and Body accessories which are concept based, often with human stories at their core, since inspiration is taken from psychological, military and medical sources. Figurative Art pieces are developed on a commission basis for private art collections, public exhibitions and museum archives. Collaborations include Lexus, Phillip Lim, Nars, The Hunger Games, Rolls Royce, L’Oreal, Fox Network, Taylor Swift, Vogue, and SHOWstudio. Una Burke Leather has shown during Fashion Weeks in London, Paris, Milan and New York as well as Shanghai, Rome, Hong Kong and Singapore. Featuring regularly in top publications such as Vogue, Collezioni, Interview, W, Numero, L’Officiel, Dazed and Confused, iD and Grazia, these pieces have now been stocked in some of the best fashion stores and galleries across the world.
_Katniss Everdeen / Jennifer Lawrence The Hunger Games Catching Fire
_Costumes
_Ellen Pompeo Taylor Swift’s BAD BLOOD
_President Snow / Donald Sutherland’s ‘Avox’ The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1
_Rachel Marron / Beverley Knight The Bodyguard West End Show
_Jill Webber / Jill Kargman Bravo TV Show Odd Mom Out
_Commissions
_ Daphne Guinness Sculpture, Commissioned through SHOWstudio, for her Private Collection
_ Phillip Lim Sculpture, Commissioned through SHOWstudio, for his Private Art Collection
_ A Shell Ladybag commissioned by the National Museum of Ireland for this Public Collection
_Upper Body Piece commissioned by Judith Clarke for Simone Handbag Museum in Seoul,
_Exclusive Collection for Hong Kong’s JOYCE BOUTIQUE
_Collaborations
_Blanket Backpacks for Teatum Jones’ Winning entry to the Woolmark Prize 2016
_Unisex Accessories for London based Brand UNCONDITIONAL
_Exclusive Collection of Totes & Purses for BROWN THOMAS Department Store
_Belts and Bracelets for Luxury British Lingerie Label LASCIVIOUS
_Shoulder piece for Rolls Royce Black Badge Dawn Advert
_Commercials
_Bodysuit for Daphne Guinness in Nars Cosmetics Advertising Campaign
_Highcollar Bodice for Goldwell Advertising Campaign _Several Body Pieces supplied for L’Oreal, at the British Hairdressing Awards
_Dress and Cape made from Lexus CT Car Leather, The Advert launched in The Guardian ‘Fashion’ Magazine
_Celebrities
_Celebrities
_Customers
REMEMBRANCE
—a nod to the past with a view to moving forward
THE FIGHT FOR POWER
_Fashion Collections
—east and west, the tension heightens
DUALITY DICHOTOMY
—opposing elements’ mutual reliance for existence
THE VOID BETWEEN
—shadow puppetry / space & form
EVERYTHING & NOTHING
—shadow puppetry / positive & negative
DEVOTION UNDER FIRE
—war nurse & soldier / opposing roles
BASTET
—cultural & religious burial beliefs
OVERCOME
—love/hate relationships & overcoming fear
TRANS.FORM
—challenging ideals of beauty & deformity
RE.TREAT
—human trauma / healing by restriction
FRAGMENTED FIGURE
_Figurative Artworks
SHOWstudio ‘Prosthetics’ Exhibition —prosthetic limbs / broken bodies
RE.TREAT
—human trauma / healing by restriction
Contact_ Email: sales@unaburke.com / emmett@unaburke.com / una@unaburke.com Phone: +44 (0)20 8871 4678 / +44 (0)79 6096 5924 / +44 (0)78 3065 0382 Website: www.unaburke.com
@UnaBurke_Design
@unaburke_design /UnaBurkeLeather
All Designs, Construction Techniques & Photography © Úna Burke 2017