Feel Included with Sinéad O'Dwyer

London has always been ahead of the curve with sustainability, diversity and inclusivity, likely due to the fact that the city is home to one of the best fashion schools and a fashion week that does an unparalleled job of inviting students and the next generation of creators to be a part of it. And O'Dwyer is a shining example of this.

To do the concept of "inclusivity" justice is a tricky one. Many brands appear to be paying mere lip service to the sentiment, casting a couple models who aren't sample size, adding a face that doesn't fall into the Eurocentric beauty standards to follow suit of the times while their garments that go to production remain in a certain size bracket and the efforts to enforce inclusion and fight the whiteness and ablism in the industry end after presentation day.

O'Dwyer is not a member of that group. Since the Dublin-born designer's debut, the garments she's produced and casting she's done for the shows have been some of the most forward-thinking, bold, and beautiful embodiments of modern style. With work that's as much about her personal experiences as the world around us, the world we see and the one we want to see, there's a level of emotion about O'Dwyer's label that is difficult to achieve as a designer in this industry. 

I sat down with the designer after her London Fashion Week show to discuss the collection, the city, and how she's able to put all of herself out there.

Do you think art can exist or be created without pain?

I think art can be created from many emotions; however, I think that every human experiences pain and art that reflects that tension is important for us to connect with sometimes, especially when life feels hard.

How does it feel putting out such a personal show?

I had actually not realised how personal it was until it hit me how public the show was! My work is very personal though. I’m not sure how I would do it otherwise, its what helps me keep the meaning in an industry that can sometimes feel superficial.

What do you hope those who might wear these pieces will feel?

Comfortable and empowered to express themselves.

How do you balance expressing intimacy with your own experience and making a collection that’s approachable for others? 

I think I usually approach my work with a very personal narrative but then it ultimately becomes more of a universal feeling. I think that most people can relate or empathise with emotions.

How do you feel your approach to inclusivity is different than other designers? 

It is important to me to actually respond and be inspired by the body I am dressing. I have no desire to use the body as a hanger for my work, rather I see the body and clothes as having a relationship and they need to compliment eachother. I suppose the main difference is that most designers use 6-10 UK as their sample size and I take size 20 UK. I also sampled in UK 12 and UK 26 this season, so that I had a bigger range for when we did the casting for the show and also so that I am more prepared for sales. It is impossible to grade all sizes from one block, so having at least 3 sample sizes is important if you want to do a broad range of sizes for production.

Your collection was heavily inspired by your playing and being around classical music as a child. Do you still play music? How do you think an understanding of music has influenced your practice in ways other than aesthetic references? 

I don’t! Sometimes I play at Christmas with my mom and sister which is really fun and I would like to join an amateur orchestra one day (when I have the space to own a cello and time to practise it!). I think I actually learnt how to work consistently and be patient from playing music, having to practise every day is really playing a long game… it takes ages until you stop sounding terrible as a kid so you have to really stick it out until you can enjoy chamber music and the satisfaction of having some control over your sound!

I feel like London is really a place that lets designers create without boundaries. Why do you think that is? 

I think its because its such a diverse city with so many different sorts of people. I feel free here to be who I am and create what I want. Though I’m conscious that I exist in a very specific queer artistic city bubble, however this bubble does allow me creative freedom that I really love.

Would you show somewhere other than London? 

It’s not something I have considered.