Sartorial stories: two Irish designers feature in latest film series for prestigious British Fashion Council

Irish fashion designers Sinead O’Dwyer and Robyn Lynch are among five designers that feature in the British Fashion Council’s (BFC) latest short film series, ‘Sartorial Stories’.

The film series celebrates 30 years of its prestigious NEWGEN programme, an internationally-recognised initiative that supports emerging design talent with the aim of building global, responsible fashion brands of the future. It does so by offering funding, mentorship, and showcasing opportunities to its recipients.

Dublin-born menswear designer Robyn Lynch and womenswear designer Sinéad O’Dwyer – born in Dublin and raised in Tullamore, Co Offaly – are among the 22 recipients of the 2023/2024 NEWGEN programme. They were identified for their “creativity, strong design aesthetic, and point of difference” according to the BFC.

The five-part film series charts their NEWGEN journeys alongside three other current and former NEWGEN designers: Bianca Saunders, Cozette McCreery, and Priya Ahluwalia.

Launched at the weekend was O’Dwyer’s episode, where she explains the philosophy of her designs and how the NEWGEN programme helped to accelerate her brand onto a global stage: "I wanted to start a brand with a different sort of body and different sample size in mind,” she explains.

Described as a “trailblazer in fashion, putting inclusivity first” by the BFC, O’Dwyer’s eponymous label celebrates size diversity, rallying against the sample-size-oriented design logic that has defined much of the fashion industry.

She made her London Fashion Week debut in September 2022, following this up with an autumn-winter show in February. Her diversity and form-focused designs made O’Dwyer a standout newcomer of both LFW shows. O’Dwyer is a graduate of the MA Fashion programme at London’s Royal College of Art, which she completed in 2018.

Robyn Lynch, meanwhile, specialises in menswear which is imbued with a sporty, laid-back feel, while her Irish upbringing and culture informs her creative process – her autumn-winter collection, presented during London Fashion Week in February, was crafted exclusively from merino wool with Irish harp and céilí decorating her sportwear pieces.

Lynch studied Printed Textiles at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, before specialising in menswear at the University of Westminster, where she graduated in 2018.

The film series kicked off on August 11th with Bianca Saunders’ episode, and a new episode will launch every Friday until 8 September – with Robyn Lynch’s contribution closing the series.

The year-long NEWGEN 30 celebrations will culminate with the opening of the landmark exhibition, REBEL: 30 Years of London Fashion.

The exhibition will open from 16 September 2023 to 11 February 2024 at the Design Museum in London. It will be one of the most compelling contemporary fashion exhibitions ever staged in the UK, according to the BFC, acknowledging the work of over 300 designers, and featuring over 100 objects. For more information and ticket sale, see here.