What Does NUADH mean?
Nuadh is a Scottish Gaelic word meaning new, fresh, forward-looking or modern. I chose this word for my denim brand many years ago during a time when Scotland was being asked what sort of country it wanted to be.
In many ways, it's still asking itself the same question.
Scottishness can be a double-edged sword. The benefits are a rich cultural history with strong traditions. But this can also feel stuck, bogged down and pigeonholed into the whisky-soaked cashmere shot through the 70s soft filter lense that does't always feel relevant to me.
the rings
'I wanted to talk a bit about how I built the NUADH DENIM logo.
For those of you who don't know, I am from Scotland. I dug deep and went right back to what feels like the beginning of time in Scotland. The Picts.
The Picts were the first known tribe in Scotland. Way older than the Druids or the Romans. They were a matriarchal society. Land, titles and leadership roles passed down the female line. The women were warriors (arguably, that has never left Scottish women), and as a kid, they were a constant source of wonder.
I was often making up stories about them and pretending to be Pictish warriors in the playground. After years of searching for the right place to start, I realised it was right under my nose all along. I found myself, as I was as a child, in the Pictish section of the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street in Edinburgh. Something clicked in my brain and I started drawing loops, rings and circular forms based on the Pictish carvings until I got to where we are now. With the NUADH rings.
I would like to thank the National Museum of Scotland for providing free access to such a great resource and helping a designer find her first footing on a very long path to finding her feet for her new brand. '
Catríona Derrins,
Founder and Creative director
NUADH DENIM, 2016
