Irish designers Eilis Boyle and Joanne Hynes have won this year's Brown Thomas Design Mentor programme as part of Dublin Fashion Week which ended last night.
The spring/summer 2008 collections of the two designers will be showcased for two weeks in Brown Thomas at the end of January on level one of the Grafton Street store as part of the company's initiative to offer commercial and design advice to up and coming talent.
"It is a great opportunity for young designers to see their collections alongside those of the big international fashion houses," Shelly Corkery, buying director of Brown Thomas, told The Irish Times.
"I thought both collections were very focused and very strong and I was really impressed with them," she said.
Eilis Boyle, who lives in Clonee, was born in the Caribbean to an Irish Spanish family, trained in Madrid and worked with Lainey Keogh for two years before establishing her own label. Her soft dresses, close fitting cashmere knits and restrained palette have a following both in Ireland and abroad, particularly Japan.
From Tuam and a graduate of Central St Martins in London, Joanne Hynes set up her own label in 2003. With their luxurious fabrics and innovative details, her clothes blur the boundaries of street and evening wear in a modern and individual way. Earlier this year she launched a new range of accessories and opened a small shop in Galway.
Sonia Reynolds, organiser of Dublin Fashion Week, announced details of the next event in February: "Dublin Fashion Week is now recognised by the trade and buyers are taking it seriously. We are getting great support."
Loretta Roberts, editor of Drapers, the UK trade weekly, who visited the show yesterday said it was a real education.
"I have been blown away by what I have seen here," she said.
"The quality of the designers, the design, finish, versatility and reasonable pricing is what has most impressed me particularly for independent boutiques in the UK."