Robyn Lynch doesn’t the luck of the Irish, she’s doing just fine of her own thanks.
The Dublin-born designer — who is one of eight shortlisted for this year’s Woolmark Prize — presented her FW23 collection at London Fashion Week on February 18, a show that paid homage to her Irish roots. The love of the Irish, if you will.
“I Googled ‘Irish T-shirt’ and what came out were a bunch of green, leprechauns, shamrocks, pints of Guinness and harps,” explained Lynch in a press release. But instead of trying to prove the stereotypes wrong, she leaned into the iconography by turning those Irish-isms on their head and presenting them as symbols of pride.
Since graduating from the University of Westminster and founding her eponymous brand in 2018, Lynch has barely had time for rest, so much so FW23 is her eighth mainline collection, but undoubtedly her best to-date.
Typically for an Irish-inspired collection, there’s a lot of green. And I mean a lot of green.
Realized across an ensemble of sporty silhouettes (something of a trait for Lynch) in shades like pistachio, lizard green, deep sage, and phthalo green, FW23 — which was soundtracked by emerging harpist Roision Berkley — has been described as “resembling the inventory of the most elevated souvenir shop you’ll ever stumble across in Dublin Airport” — which isn’t far wrong.
During the six years at the helm of her eponymous label, Lynch has carved her own path when it comes to elevated sportswear, as well as boasting collaborations with the likes of Columbia and Rapha.
Still only 30, it’s safe to say Lynch has a long road ahead of her, and one that I’ll be following every step of the way. Like I said, she doesn’t need luck, she’s doing just fine on her own.
