London Fashion Week has been a riot of colour and creativity, with spoken word performances from Ian McKellen and Florence Pugh as well as an immersive exhibition from Snapchat, and celebrity sightings in the front row.
As Fashion Month continues, we’re shining a spotlight on just some of the Irish designers we loved at London Fashion Week.
JW Anderson
Derry-born designer Jonathan Anderson’s award-winning career has been a resounding success since he graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2005.
Collecting awards and accolades for his ready-to-wear collections, womenswear and menswear designs, and high-street collaborations, it wasn’t long before the Magherafelt native was named as creative director of Loewe, a major luxury house.
Anderson recently made headlines with the Spanish label, thanks to the custom red jumpsuit and matching breastplate that he created for Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance.
At London Fashion Week, the JW Anderson Ready-to-Wear Fall/Winter 2023-2024 line showcased some creative designs in collaboration with Michael Clark, a Scottish choreographer and dancer.
According to Vogue, Clark’s famed subversive performances “rudely and joyfully blurred the lines between ballet, gay nightlife, and fashion performance in the early 1980s”.
Anderson told Vogue: “In September of last year, we had a conversation with Michael, we’ve been trying to do something for while—and while looking through his archive, I was like, ‘Well, I can’t look through someone else’s archive without looking through my own. And I decided to take one element from every single collection of the last 15 years and try to work out a way in which you would merge two archives.”
Paul Costelloe
For Autumn/Winter 2023, internationally acclaimed fashion designer Paul Costelloe paid homage to his hometown of Dublin, pulling inspiration from James Joyce’s Ulysses as well as iconic structures of the capital, both past and present.
According to the designer’s Instagram, the collection is “very much a modern rendering of the period, using the most beautiful fabrics of Ireland and Italy, where James Joyce lived for many years”.
Narrative prints “festooned with scenes from Ulysses” were woven from cloth of silver by William Clarke of Derry, while long tailored coats, skirts, and highly structured fitted jackets from Magees in Donegal feature alongside Emblem Weavers of Wexford.
As for the jewellery, the designer teamed up with Pebble of London for old-gold Celtic wraps, Bláithín Ennis for delicate net ropes, and architect Angela Brady for bespoke, fused glass pieces inspired by Autumnal in-house prints.
“This is a celebration of Dublin that was, Dublin that is, and the city I love so well,” says Costelloe.
Simone Rocha
Dublin designer Simone Rocha’s high-flying career began in 2008 when she graduated with a BA in Fashion from The National College of Art and Design before continuing in 2010 to graduate with a Fashion MA at Central Saint Martin’s College, London.
Since then, Rocha has shown her acclaimed collections at London Fashion Weeks since 2010 and has participated in some of the most historical and culturally relevant buildings in the UK including the Tate Modern, Lancaster House, The Royal Academy of Art, and Alexandra Palace.
Despite being based in London, the designer’s collections often feature pieces inspired by home, with her lines often including cosy knits and dresses worthy of an Irish fairytale – and it seems this year was no different.
Walking down the catwalk to the sounds of Irish folk band Lankum’s live performance, Irish actress, writer, director, and model Olwen Fouéré looked positively ethereal as she showcased some of Rocha’s latest designs.
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Detailing the latest collection, the designer’s website says: “Lughnasadh. Stemming from the Autumn. Irish Relationship traditions and rituals. Peeling the apple in the mirror to reveal your future love. The blood daubed on children’s foreheads for protection from otherworldly beings and bad luck. A twisted lullaby. Stuffed roses, pressed ribbon, trapped lace. Pony trap and pony kids. Baby blues with Pearl. Blood red. Lace.
Sinéad O’Dwyer
Since graduating from the MA Fashion program at London’s Royal College of Art in 2018, Sinéad O’Dwyer has been on a mission to “design for everyone”.
Rallying against traditional sample size design, the Tullamore creative’s work has pulled on innovative design technologies to accommodate femme-identifying bodies that have historically been underserved.
According to Vogue, the designer enlisted the help of several friends, some of whom were in the show, in order to find a type of pattern-cutting that works for a wider range of body types. Her tailoring approach “ensures the separation and uplift of bust-lines”, originally from body molds she took from friends.
Her innovative and inclusive designs include a stretchy, cobweb-knit that can be seen in across her leggings, dresses, and bodysuits.
O’Dwyer’s latest collection is said to pay tribute to her late grandmother’s Hollywood-inspired wardrobe, with plenty of cocktail dresses, leather overcoats, and thigh-cladding leather boots displayed on the catwalk.
Posting photos of the collection on Instagram, the designer wrote: “Dúil – Typically translated to English as ‘desire’, the Irish word dúil contains layers of nuance – notions of fondness, appetite, longing, craving, lust”.
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Adding an extra Irish touch, the show included live performances from Irish singer Cosha and London-based, Irish-raised artist Omar O’Reilly (aka Witch Trials).
Robyn Lynch
Dublin-born menswear designer Robyn Lynch’s first solo catwalk show at London Fashion Week made headlines in 2022, when she presented a series of upcycled GAA jerseys that she sourced from her father’s wardrobe.
This year, the NCAD graduate continued to showcase pieces that are proudly Irish, with her upbringing and culture being used as the base of the brand’s ethos and inspiration.
Paying tribute to her roots, the runway was covered in various shades of green, and an Irish harpist played as the models showcased some shamrock-covered designs.
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A favourite amongst Irish musicians (Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten was spotted wearing her GAA-inspired design at the attended the 2022 NME Award), it came as no surprise that Dublin singer Aby Coulibaly was spotted at the event.
