She’s well known for referencing her father Mick’s old GAA jerseys and using stereotypical Irish imagery as a form of communication in her collections.
London-based Robyn Lynch made her debut at London Fashion Week in 2022 with an unforgettable menswear collection held in the old Selfridges hotel, and last year hosted an even more memorable presentation centring on the colour green, introduced by Mayo harpist Róisín Berkeley.
Streetwear hoodies, tracksuits, gilets, fleeces and cargos along with Aran sweaters were given a fresh new twist in four different shades of green. One hoodie was emblazoned with an abstracted shamrock motif, another with a similarly abstracted tourist map of Ireland.
[ Robyn Lynch: ‘I want to put Ireland on the fashion map’Opens in new window ]
The designer, a finalist that year for the Woolmark Prize, is not afraid to tackle stereotypical Irish imagery and give it a modern wallop and flamboyance. “We wanted to take ownership of the green and the colour palette is the number one starting point,” she says of the collection.
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From Malahide in Dublin, Lynch originally applied for fashion at the National College of Art and Design, but was accepted for textiles instead. “It was the best thing that could have happened to me because you learnt about the fundamentals of colour, hue, handle, fabric,” she says. After that she did a menswear MA on what was then a new course at the University of Westminster, before launching her brand.
“I needed that time to learn about pattern cutting. I found amazing energy in men’s fashion week in London at the time, whereas womenswear was harder to get into – menswear was a bit of a back door in. A lot of women borrow from boys – there doesn’t have to be a bridge between them. Personally, I have always bought from menswear more than womenswear brands.”
She returns to Ireland this month with a new collection for Brown Thomas - which goes on sale this Saturday - after menswear buyer Emer Keating visited her studio last year.
“We discussed how we could make the best product at a price point for her customers. This collection is smaller, super concise with nice fabrics, and wearable. We are teasing out the business elements and price points that are accessible and not as expensive as some of our things in the past. I am using cotton, for instance, instead of wool. Our colours include navy, bright red and black.”
There are garment dyed cotton T-shirts screen printed with Celtic graphics and a distorted Dublin GAA jersey, an exclusive retro football jersey with long or short sleeves. “We also have a classic crew knit and laser etched denim – a denim suit – cargos with matching overlay shirt with reflective embroidered threads of both. And for the first time, caps and beanies.”
Based in Hackney where there is a strong Irish community, she is a four-minute walk from the new V & A storehouse “which is like walking into IKEA, everything is displayed on racks and stacked and you can see anything from their collections and it is free”. She has made unisex utility vests for the storehouse, fabric dyed, screen printed and embroidered in the UK.
“They needed to be functional and designed to fit every shape – we used a burnt orange with contrast details to reflect the wood surface – it was a nice project.”
She also has another project dear to her heart, a collaboration with the Italian shoe company Geox, famous for their slim lightweight shoes. Mick, her father, is a huge fan with a pair in every colour lined up outside the hallway in their home.
“We have worked closely with them, and I’ve been back and forth to Italy – the shoe will be launched at the end of the year. I don’t think anyone stocks them in Ireland as my dad has always had to get them abroad, so I will be the first to bring Geox to Ireland,” she says proudly.
She comes from a strong supportive family. “Everyone helps me emotionally and physically and makes my ideas come to life. It’s not just the catwalk show, but with everything else.”
Asked what she loves most about her work, she recalls that the first time she saw people wearing the brand at a music festival in Barcelona. “That gave me the greatest satisfaction. It is really rewarding seeing how people wear it and style it in their own ways. That is really huge for me. Celebrities [wearing it] are great, but when people buy it with their own money, that means so much.”
The Robyn Lynch collection launches in Brown Thomas, Dublin, on Saturday, July 26th
