Series 1 - Midge
Forget Me Not
A mourning collection by Margaret O’Connor
Launching in-store at Margaret’s Galway pop-up shop – July 2025
Forget Me Not marks the launch of a new collection—and the beginning of a deeply personal series exploring grief, memory, love, and Irish ritual through wearable art.
Rooted in memory and personal history, the collection began with a single headpiece once worn by Margaret’s Nana, Anna Mullins (Anna O’Connor)—a 1940s navy crushed velvet hat adorned with delicate organza flowers. Worn to Mass, to funerals, and to Ennis for shopping, it was her signature. This heirloom became the emotional seed for a modern resurrection of the mourning hat.
In Ireland, wearing hats to funerals was once second nature—navy, black, dark tones, worn with reverence and quiet strength. These hats weren’t worn once and put away—they lived in wardrobes, carefully kept, and were taken out for moments that mattered. A family funeral. A neighbour’s wedding. A christening. A hat for showing respect. For bearing witness. Forget Me Not reclaims and reimagines that tradition. It speaks to those moments when we’re unprepared but need something meaningful—something to wear that feels ceremonial, comforting, and strong.
These pieces are designed to honour the ones we’ve loved and lost. Some are ready to purchase immediately; others are made to order within 3–4 weeks. The concept is simple: to have a hat in your wardrobe that can carry you through both weddings and funerals. A silent witness to both joy and sorrow. Celebration and grief.
This collection also draws on Margaret’s time in Mexico, where she visited her brother last year. Immersed in the powerful ritual of Día de los Muertos, she was struck by the parallels with Irish mourning—two cultures bound by fierce love for the dead, and a shared need to honour them with creativity, colour, and presence. These influences subtly echo through the shapes, textures, and soul of the collection.
One of the standout pieces, the Frida headpiece, is a quiet nod to Frida Kahlo—specifically, a style Margaret encountered during her visit to Frida’s home in Mexico City. Frida often wore black headpieces woven from straw and natural materials, styled to blend with her hair and then adorned with flowers. Margaret’s version reinterprets this tradition with a more contemporary hand—using lace, modern textures, and her own distinctive shapes, while still evoking that sense of strength and personal ritual. Throughout the collection, Margaret also plays with frills, a detail common to both Irish and Mexican traditions, and makes subtle use of floral motifs—a visual language shared between the two cultures. The key difference? While Mexican mourning often bursts with vibrant colour, this collection is rooted in deep, muted tones: black, navy, charcoal, and ink. Shades that speak to quiet power and inner depth.
Forget Me Not also honours the natural world and the old ways. The photo shoot took place in both Shanaglish graveyards in County Galway, surrounded by towering yew trees, some hundreds of years old. In Irish tradition, the yew tree is a powerful symbol of death and resurrection. Its evergreen nature, slow growth, and ability to regenerate from its own branches have made it a sacred presence in graveyards across Ireland. Their presence in the photographs is no accident—they echo the themes of the collection: remembrance, renewal, and the quiet strength that comes from continuity and care.
The collection is made using a mix of natural materials and vintage millinery stock, with a deep respect for craftsmanship and history. It features traditional Petersham ribbon—a high-frequency 100% cotton millinery staple—much of it dyed by hand for this collection. Margaret personally dyed natural-toned materials black, transforming them into pieces suitable for mourning while still honouring their organic origins. Some of the materials come from the treasured archives of two former milliners: the late Peggy Glynn, and another unnamed craftswoman whose materials were passed on to Margaret. Many of these vintage ribbons and trims date from the 1940s through the 1960s, bringing with them their own histories, textures, and stories.
Each hat marries traditional Irish millinery techniques with modern design—inspired by the past, yet styled for the present. Signature shapes are reimagined with fresh proportions and structure, blending timeless ritual with a bold, contemporary sensibility that reflects Margaret’s unique voice.
Photographed with deep sensitivity by the incredible Colm Hogan, the shoot captures the emotional depth and quiet power of the collection. Margaret had long admired Colm’s film work, and collaborating on this project was a dream realised.
“I’ve been a big fan of Colm’s film work for years, so to have him photograph Forget Me Not felt very close to my heart. He really understood the tone, the mood, and the emotional layers behind the collection. We connect on a similar wavelength when it comes to art and music, and I think that really came through in the work. It felt like home — and that was the feeling I wanted this to have. He captured the bones of it — the feeling of loss, memory, and care. I’m so grateful to him for his sensitivity and his talent.”
This is just the beginning. Forget Me Not is the first chapter in a series that will unfold throughout the year—continuing to explore themes of grief, remembrance, strength, and renewal through handmade, meaningful design. Series Two will delve even deeper into Irish traditions, incorporating crochet, Irish lace, and knitwear—techniques that hold a special place in Margaret’s family history. Her mother’s relation, Agnes, knitted a crochet blanket that has been passed through generations and used for family christenings—a quiet heirloom of comfort and continuity. These traditional Irish textile methods mirror the handcrafted, heritage-led techniques found in Mexican culture, continuing a conversation across continents about memory, ritual, and care.
To see more pieces and explore the collection, visit
and check out the Forget Me Not section for available stock and new products.
Creative Credits
Designer & Stylist: Margaret O’Connor
Photography: Colm Hogan
Model: Aline Beatriz
Makeup Artist: Gráinne Coughlan
Location: Both Shanaglish graveyards, County Galway
Forget Me Not
A mourning collection by Margaret O’Connor
Launching in-store at Margaret’s Galway pop-up shop – July 2025
Forget Me Not marks the launch of a new collection—and the beginning of a deeply personal series exploring grief, memory, love, and Irish ritual through wearable art.
Rooted in memory and personal history, the collection began with a single headpiece once worn by Margaret’s Nana, Anna Mullins (Anna O’Connor)—a 1940s navy crushed velvet hat adorned with delicate organza flowers. Worn to Mass, to funerals, and to Ennis for shopping, it was her signature. This heirloom became the emotional seed for a modern resurrection of the mourning hat.
In Ireland, wearing hats to funerals was once second nature—navy, black, dark tones, worn with reverence and quiet strength. These hats weren’t worn once and put away—they lived in wardrobes, carefully kept, and were taken out for moments that mattered. A family funeral. A neighbour’s wedding. A christening. A hat for showing respect. For bearing witness. Forget Me Not reclaims and reimagines that tradition. It speaks to those moments when we’re unprepared but need something meaningful—something to wear that feels ceremonial, comforting, and strong.
These pieces are designed to honour the ones we’ve loved and lost. Some are ready to purchase immediately; others are made to order within 3–4 weeks. The concept is simple: to have a hat in your wardrobe that can carry you through both weddings and funerals. A silent witness to both joy and sorrow. Celebration and grief.
This collection also draws on Margaret’s time in Mexico, where she visited her brother last year. Immersed in the powerful ritual of Día de los Muertos, she was struck by the parallels with Irish mourning—two cultures bound by fierce love for the dead, and a shared need to honour them with creativity, colour, and presence. These influences subtly echo through the shapes, textures, and soul of the collection.
One of the standout pieces, the Frida headpiece, is a quiet nod to Frida Kahlo—specifically, a style Margaret encountered during her visit to Frida’s home in Mexico City. Frida often wore black headpieces woven from straw and natural materials, styled to blend with her hair and then adorned with flowers. Margaret’s version reinterprets this tradition with a more contemporary hand—using lace, modern textures, and her own distinctive shapes, while still evoking that sense of strength and personal ritual. Throughout the collection, Margaret also plays with frills, a detail common to both Irish and Mexican traditions, and makes subtle use of floral motifs—a visual language shared between the two cultures. The key difference? While Mexican mourning often bursts with vibrant colour, this collection is rooted in deep, muted tones: black, navy, charcoal, and ink. Shades that speak to quiet power and inner depth.
Forget Me Not also honours the natural world and the old ways. The photo shoot took place in both Shanaglish graveyards in County Galway, surrounded by towering yew trees, some hundreds of years old. In Irish tradition, the yew tree is a powerful symbol of death and resurrection. Its evergreen nature, slow growth, and ability to regenerate from its own branches have made it a sacred presence in graveyards across Ireland. Their presence in the photographs is no accident—they echo the themes of the collection: remembrance, renewal, and the quiet strength that comes from continuity and care.
The collection is made using a mix of natural materials and vintage millinery stock, with a deep respect for craftsmanship and history. It features traditional Petersham ribbon—a high-frequency 100% cotton millinery staple—much of it dyed by hand for this collection. Margaret personally dyed natural-toned materials black, transforming them into pieces suitable for mourning while still honouring their organic origins. Some of the materials come from the treasured archives of two former milliners: the late Peggy Glynn, and another unnamed craftswoman whose materials were passed on to Margaret. Many of these vintage ribbons and trims date from the 1940s through the 1960s, bringing with them their own histories, textures, and stories.
Each hat marries traditional Irish millinery techniques with modern design—inspired by the past, yet styled for the present. Signature shapes are reimagined with fresh proportions and structure, blending timeless ritual with a bold, contemporary sensibility that reflects Margaret’s unique voice.
Photographed with deep sensitivity by the incredible Colm Hogan, the shoot captures the emotional depth and quiet power of the collection. Margaret had long admired Colm’s film work, and collaborating on this project was a dream realised.
“I’ve been a big fan of Colm’s film work for years, so to have him photograph Forget Me Not felt very close to my heart. He really understood the tone, the mood, and the emotional layers behind the collection. We connect on a similar wavelength when it comes to art and music, and I think that really came through in the work. It felt like home — and that was the feeling I wanted this to have. He captured the bones of it — the feeling of loss, memory, and care. I’m so grateful to him for his sensitivity and his talent.”
This is just the beginning. Forget Me Not is the first chapter in a series that will unfold throughout the year—continuing to explore themes of grief, remembrance, strength, and renewal through handmade, meaningful design. Series Two will delve even deeper into Irish traditions, incorporating crochet, Irish lace, and knitwear—techniques that hold a special place in Margaret’s family history. Her mother’s relation, Agnes, knitted a crochet blanket that has been passed through generations and used for family christenings—a quiet heirloom of comfort and continuity. These traditional Irish textile methods mirror the handcrafted, heritage-led techniques found in Mexican culture, continuing a conversation across continents about memory, ritual, and care.
To see more pieces and explore the collection, visit
and check out the Forget Me Not section for available stock and new products.
Creative Credits
Designer & Stylist: Margaret O’Connor
Photography: Colm Hogan
Model: Aline Beatriz
Makeup Artist: Gráinne Coughlan
Location: Both Shanaglish graveyards, County Galway
Forget Me Not
A mourning collection by Margaret O’Connor
Launching in-store at Margaret’s Galway pop-up shop – July 2025
Forget Me Not marks the launch of a new collection—and the beginning of a deeply personal series exploring grief, memory, love, and Irish ritual through wearable art.
Rooted in memory and personal history, the collection began with a single headpiece once worn by Margaret’s Nana, Anna Mullins (Anna O’Connor)—a 1940s navy crushed velvet hat adorned with delicate organza flowers. Worn to Mass, to funerals, and to Ennis for shopping, it was her signature. This heirloom became the emotional seed for a modern resurrection of the mourning hat.
In Ireland, wearing hats to funerals was once second nature—navy, black, dark tones, worn with reverence and quiet strength. These hats weren’t worn once and put away—they lived in wardrobes, carefully kept, and were taken out for moments that mattered. A family funeral. A neighbour’s wedding. A christening. A hat for showing respect. For bearing witness. Forget Me Not reclaims and reimagines that tradition. It speaks to those moments when we’re unprepared but need something meaningful—something to wear that feels ceremonial, comforting, and strong.
These pieces are designed to honour the ones we’ve loved and lost. Some are ready to purchase immediately; others are made to order within 3–4 weeks. The concept is simple: to have a hat in your wardrobe that can carry you through both weddings and funerals. A silent witness to both joy and sorrow. Celebration and grief.
This collection also draws on Margaret’s time in Mexico, where she visited her brother last year. Immersed in the powerful ritual of Día de los Muertos, she was struck by the parallels with Irish mourning—two cultures bound by fierce love for the dead, and a shared need to honour them with creativity, colour, and presence. These influences subtly echo through the shapes, textures, and soul of the collection.
One of the standout pieces, the Frida headpiece, is a quiet nod to Frida Kahlo—specifically, a style Margaret encountered during her visit to Frida’s home in Mexico City. Frida often wore black headpieces woven from straw and natural materials, styled to blend with her hair and then adorned with flowers. Margaret’s version reinterprets this tradition with a more contemporary hand—using lace, modern textures, and her own distinctive shapes, while still evoking that sense of strength and personal ritual. Throughout the collection, Margaret also plays with frills, a detail common to both Irish and Mexican traditions, and makes subtle use of floral motifs—a visual language shared between the two cultures. The key difference? While Mexican mourning often bursts with vibrant colour, this collection is rooted in deep, muted tones: black, navy, charcoal, and ink. Shades that speak to quiet power and inner depth.
Forget Me Not also honours the natural world and the old ways. The photo shoot took place in both Shanaglish graveyards in County Galway, surrounded by towering yew trees, some hundreds of years old. In Irish tradition, the yew tree is a powerful symbol of death and resurrection. Its evergreen nature, slow growth, and ability to regenerate from its own branches have made it a sacred presence in graveyards across Ireland. Their presence in the photographs is no accident—they echo the themes of the collection: remembrance, renewal, and the quiet strength that comes from continuity and care.
The collection is made using a mix of natural materials and vintage millinery stock, with a deep respect for craftsmanship and history. It features traditional Petersham ribbon—a high-frequency 100% cotton millinery staple—much of it dyed by hand for this collection. Margaret personally dyed natural-toned materials black, transforming them into pieces suitable for mourning while still honouring their organic origins. Some of the materials come from the treasured archives of two former milliners: the late Peggy Glynn, and another unnamed craftswoman whose materials were passed on to Margaret. Many of these vintage ribbons and trims date from the 1940s through the 1960s, bringing with them their own histories, textures, and stories.
Each hat marries traditional Irish millinery techniques with modern design—inspired by the past, yet styled for the present. Signature shapes are reimagined with fresh proportions and structure, blending timeless ritual with a bold, contemporary sensibility that reflects Margaret’s unique voice.
Photographed with deep sensitivity by the incredible Colm Hogan, the shoot captures the emotional depth and quiet power of the collection. Margaret had long admired Colm’s film work, and collaborating on this project was a dream realised.
“I’ve been a big fan of Colm’s film work for years, so to have him photograph Forget Me Not felt very close to my heart. He really understood the tone, the mood, and the emotional layers behind the collection. We connect on a similar wavelength when it comes to art and music, and I think that really came through in the work. It felt like home — and that was the feeling I wanted this to have. He captured the bones of it — the feeling of loss, memory, and care. I’m so grateful to him for his sensitivity and his talent.”
This is just the beginning. Forget Me Not is the first chapter in a series that will unfold throughout the year—continuing to explore themes of grief, remembrance, strength, and renewal through handmade, meaningful design. Series Two will delve even deeper into Irish traditions, incorporating crochet, Irish lace, and knitwear—techniques that hold a special place in Margaret’s family history. Her mother’s relation, Agnes, knitted a crochet blanket that has been passed through generations and used for family christenings—a quiet heirloom of comfort and continuity. These traditional Irish textile methods mirror the handcrafted, heritage-led techniques found in Mexican culture, continuing a conversation across continents about memory, ritual, and care.
To see more pieces and explore the collection, visit
and check out the Forget Me Not section for available stock and new products.
Creative Credits
Designer & Stylist: Margaret O’Connor
Photography: Colm Hogan
Model: Aline Beatriz
Makeup Artist: Gráinne Coughlan
Location: Both Shanaglish graveyards, County Galway