Origin Stories
Origin Stories | Jess
Written by Grace O'Connor
Jess grew up on a yard in Kildare and has never really left, though she has tried twice. Almost nothing in her wardrobe was bought new.
Everything second-hand
Almost everything she wears was owned by someone else first — her mother, her aunt, a great-grandmother she never met. The coat from that last one is the oldest thing in the house and the one in most regular use.
Not sentimental
She is not sentimental about it. Good cloth simply outlasts its first owner, and refusing it would be the waste.
If it fits, wear it. If it nearly fits, alter it.
Repair before the hole, not after.
Nothing is too good for a Tuesday.
The wearing test
Her only real criterion is whether a thing survives a working morning. Very little bought new in the last decade does. The argument is expanded in What We Keep.
Jess Ó Riain
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did Jess grow up?
On a yard in Kildare, which she has never really left, though she has tried twice.
Is her wardrobe inherited?
Almost entirely — from her mother, her aunt, and a great-grandmother she never met.
Is she sentimental about it?
Not at all. She argues that good cloth outlasts its first owner and refusing it would be the waste.
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