BRINGING THE BUZZ: Jill & Gill
Jill Deering and Gillian Henderson, known as ‘Jill & Gill,’ are Irish designers celebrated for creating empowering and original designs. Their latest project is for the fourth edition of the Brigit festival ‘Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women’. Honouring the Celtic goddess Brigit, the festival highlights women’s contributions and enduring impact on Irish society. This year, Jill & Gill return with Brigit: Boundless & Radical II, a vibrant visual exploration of Brigit’s legacy through bold, thought-provoking imagery.
Brigit 2024 was nominated for an ‘Institute Designers Ireland’ award last year. How does it feel to be a part of a project which celebrates women?
It’s an absolute honour to be part of a festival that shines a light on women’s stories and contributions in such a powerful way. Being involved with the Brigit festival for the second year is deeply rewarding—from the pride of using our creativity to bring Brigit’s enduring legacy into a modern context, to collaborating with an incredible community of Irish female creatives and business owners. And being shortlisted for an Irish Design Award for last year’s work? That was humbling. But what matters most is how the Brigit festival continues to amplify women’s voices and celebrate their legacies—something we’re so proud to be a part of.
How did the legacy of Brigit inspire your approach to creating the ‘Wear the Icon, Celebrate the Legacy’ for this collection?
Brigit is a bad-ass! The idea of “Wear the Icon, Celebrate the Legacy” came from the notion that everyone can carry Brigit’s fire within them. She is a woman filled with purpose, connection and creativity, we wanted to merge her historical and mythological significance with modern-day empowerment. Creating her image came from the stories, her representation but also from what women today represent, the force and flame within us.
What role do you think art and fashion play in amplifying the contributions and stories of women in society today?
We believe that creativity has the power to ignite change and challenge outdated narratives. Art and fashion have always disrupted social norms and even influenced political agendas. They go beyond aesthetics—they provoke, question and used correctly can inspire collective action, just think of the REPEAL Project during Repeal the 8th campaign/movement. It was women telling their stories, their essence and through simple art and fashion pieces a ripple was made and a nation changed the narrative.
What advice would you give to women aspiring to carve out their space in creative industries?
Your unique voice is your greatest asset. Seek out mentors, those you can ask for advice from, they don’t need to be in your industry but they may be experts in theirs. Collaborate with others but trust your gut!
What event are you most looking forward to at Brigit 2025?
We have projections of our work happening every evening on The GPO so that is a personal highlight but there are highlights every day across the festival weekend. A few that have stood out for us are:
Blue Road - The Edna O’Brien story at The Lighthouse Cinema
Brigit Parade on Saturday at 3:30pm (Jill & Gill have created flags which people can get their hands on at the parade)
Seanchoíche X Brigit, Saturday night in Pepper Canister Church
Imbolc Fair at Meeting House Square on Sunday where you can make flower crowns with FlowerPop and pull your own Jill & Gill Brigit poster with Damn Fine Print.
How do you balance honouring Brigit's historical and mythological significance with presenting her through a contemporary lens?
Drawing from her multifaceted roles as goddess and saint we leaned into elements that could be told visually, blurring the lines between the two through patterns, textures and where possible little nods to tradition. But, what was most important for us with our Brigit was that she resonated in a contemporary way with a visual that screams empowerment, creativity, and radical self-expression.
Your work often blends bold visuals with deeper meanings. How do you approach striking a balance between aesthetics and storytelling?
For us aesthetics and storytelling are inseparable—they feed into each other. We start by defining the narrative we want to convey, then explore how to visually translate that story in a way that grabs attention and sparks curiosity. Bold visuals draw people in, but it’s the layers of meaning that keep them engaged. Brigit has so many layers to her, it has been so exciting to update her image and add more elements of her story within the illustration. As a bonus, by always leading with the story or deeper meaning within our work we have been lucky enough to be on the receiving end of why others connect with our work and be told their story. There’s power in shared experiences and also vulnerability but for the common good.