Meet Sinéad O’Dwyer, the RCA Fashion MA graduate diversifying luxury fashion

At the RCA Sinéad O’Dwyer (Fashion MA, 2018) began to address the destructive attitudes towards the body that are caused by a lack of representation in the fashion industry. Sinéad, who is from Ireland, previously studied fashion at ArtEz University of the Arts in Arnhem, Netherlands. She used her time at the RCA to challenge the ingrained relationship she, and many of her friends, had with clothing and fashion.

On the RCA Fashion MA Sinéad was able to experiment with body casting, breaking away from the standard size 6 or 8 fit model common in the industry. The result was a collection of sculptural garments that celebrated the shape of bodies with fat and breasts. This formed the foundation of her brand, which is all about dismantling stereotypes and championing the diversity of bodies. Her signature garments include interlaced tights and dresses and fitted shirts designed for bodies with a larger chest. Presentations of her work are a celebration of all types of bodies.

Since graduating from the RCA Sinéad has received a number of accolades, including being a British Fashion Council NewGen recipient for 2022/23 and 2023/24. She has worked on creative projects with Sharna Osborne, Nick Knight and 1 Granary and her designs have been worn by Arca, Björk, Kelsey-Lu, Bella Hadid, Barbie Ferreira and Yseult to name a few. Her work is stocked in Browns, SSENSE and DSM.

Sinéad O'Dwyer in conversation with with i-D’s Senior Fashion Features Editor, Mahoro Seward, photo: Ellen Stewart

For her Spring/Summer 2024 show at London Fashion Week, Sinéad returned to the Fashion MA studios at the RCA. Models showcased her designs while she discussed her creative process with i-D’s Senior Fashion Features Editor, Mahoro Seward. Here, she shares some of the ideas behind her work, as well as her experiences studying at the RCA.

What was the inspiration behind your SS24 collection ‘Assembly’?

I was thinking about after school dressing rituals growing up in the countryside and the idea of school uniform as a framework to continue to explore certain archetypical garments within the brand’s language.

What’s your process for making a collection?

I usually start with colour and fabric. I puzzle together the colours and textures. I never think in colour on paper, it has to be a yarn, or elastic, or fabric, or trim. That’s how I build the balance. At the same time I often develop the emotional narrative based on an abstract memory or feeling; I search in myself for meaning to give the clothes. I also consider what’s missing from the brand’s wardrobe for basics that I want to add, things I want to reinterpret for our customer. For silhouette and detailing I look at photography and films and people I see.

Sinead O'Dwyer's SS24 collection Assembly, photo: Ellen Stewart

Who do you most enjoy making clothes for?

I enjoy making clothes for anyone who wants to wear the brand, but I like to have friends and family and myself in mind. It’s fun to make certain types or garments more accessible to those you love. My main focus is expanding the design ideas available for extended sizing within the luxury sector. I find this very exciting.

Why is using a diversity of body shapes, sizes and abilities in your work important?

Without a focus on inclusive design I would not have a brand as it’s what gives my work meaning. Dismantling ideas about who can wear luxury fashion and the narratives about who can wear what garments and silhouettes and why; that’s what inspires me.

Sinead O’Dwyer’s SS24 collection Assembly, photo: Ellen Stewart

How has your time at the RCA influenced your career as a fashion designer?

I was so free there to explore what I wanted to do. I was very confused about working in fashion when I decided to do an MA due to the work environment and values of the industry. I needed space to explore what I could contribute, that is what the focus was for me. I worked a lot in the mould-making studio and learnt so much across disciplines that way.

What challenges have you faced in setting up your own label post-RCA?

I had not planned on setting up a brand necessarily, so the challenges have been many. The obvious one is funding the work and trying to grow in a way that can make the brand sustainable while keeping focused on what I care about. Despite it being extremely challenging running a small business at the moment I love working for myself!

Backstage at Sinead O'Dwyer's SS24 collection Assembly, photo: India Ashmore

How do you feel your time at the RCA has supported you on this pathway?

The freedom to think broadly about what I wanted to contribute as a thinker and maker was a luxury I really needed at the time. The expansive vision of Zowie Broach and my other tutors was very important in forming who I am now.

What is the most important thing you took from studying at the RCA?

Many of the things Zowie said to me stuck with me and I think about all the time: ideas about seeing important moments in your career as just a comma in your journey, a part of a long life as a creative person; about figuring out your space to contribute within the industry and there being so many ways to do that which are unexpected... The main one was the idea that the MA was not about producing a lot of clothes necessarily, but that it was a success if you left with even one tiny kernel of knowledge or direction that helped you continue your path outside of university. And I definitely left with that, the beginnings of all my pattern cutting ideas and ideals about dismantling stereotypes of how we present and view bodies with fat and breasts in the luxury sector and also in society as a whole. And this is what I am continually exploring.

Sinead O'Dwyer's SS24 collection Assembly, photo: Ellen Stewart