Irish jewellery designer Chloe Townsend is delighted to see her hard work finally being rewarded, as her pieces are now being worn by stars such as actress Amy Huberman, musician Sharon Corr, and even members of the British royal family.
The Dubliner is the younger sister of Hollywood star Stuart, and the daughter of former professional golfer Peter, but is delighted she is now making her own mark thanks to her hard work and dedication.
Townsend is beginning to make a real name for herself in the fashion industry. Last year, she was named the Accessory Designer of the Year at Kerry Fashion Week.
She spoke to the Herald about her success: “It’s really wonderful. I saw a photo of Princess Eugenie in which she’s kissing Kate Middleton on the cheek and she’s wearing a pair of my earrings!
“That’s amazing. She has a couple of pairs of my earrings, and both her and Beatrice have worn my pieces. So that has been really fantastic for the UK market especially.
“Moments like that are special. It’s lovely to get that support and it gives your stuff a bit of recognition.”
Townsend admits that it has sometimes been hard to step out of the shadow of her father who played in both the Ryder Cup and the World Cup in his career, and her brother who starred in films such as Shooting Fish and television series Betrayal and Salem.
She explained: “When you grow up with everyone asking about everyone else in your family, it’s nice to feel I’ve done something for me. It’s not because of who they are, it’s because of how hard I’ve worked.
“I feel I’m making my own mark in some way and it’s not down to them.
“As much as I love my family, as much as they are fantastic – and it’s fantastic to grow up in that kind of family where everything is kind of possible – there’s that mentality that you go out and get it, you do what you can and it’s a very positive thing.”
Visit www.willowandclo.ie to take a look at some at some of Townsend’s designs.