ABOUT ME
Hi I'm Treeney Harkin and this is the story of creating CROÍ MEALA!
The journey that led me to this
space was anything but linear.
After three years navigating the fashion industry and searching for a sense of home, I pressed pause and moved to Melbourne. Surrounded by a vibrant community of emerging designers and independent creatives, I found the confidence to return home and begin again — this time, with jewellery at the heart of it.
I was accepted into the Royal College of Art’s Jewellery and Metal
programme, gaining a full scholarship from Burberry to undertake my studies for
the next two years. During this time, my work was
selected for a curation by the artistic director of jewellery at Louis Vuitton
and shortlisted for two awards.
Midway through my studies, pandemic restrictions forced me to return home to
the Isle of Man. This shift led me to reimagine my creative workspace in the countryside. The limitations of my new environment shaped a practice that echoed my green fingers and love of the natural world. I began casting outdoors, dyeing with plants, and experimenting with textures and colours derived from locally foraged ingredients. This process became the foundation of CROÍ MEALA.
Derived from the Irish phrase “a heart of honey”, CROÍ MEALA
is rooted in handmade craftsmanship, using recycled metals and ethically
sourced materials to create jewellery that coexists with the planet. My
collections are inspired by the deep-running myths of my homelands and heritage,
the landscapes I stomp, and the stories passed down through a community of
storytellers.
What began as a personal
endeavour—making pieces for friends—has organically grown into a fully-fledged
business. Since the creation of CROÍ MEALA, I have been affiliated with the London Goldsmith Centre and been
supported through an accelerator programme for upcoming talent by Innovation
RCA. Craftsmanship and sustainability are
always at the heart of my work, with every piece handmade by myself in my studio.
I envision CROÍ MEALA to be a space
where art, history and magic intermingles through metal. Traditional techniques, stories from the land,
and ingredients gathered and collected over time, all coming together shaped by my eyes and
hands.