“The driving force behind my work, to date, has always been a struggle with my own body dysmorphia,” says Sinéad O’Dwyer. “In some ways, a sort of tug of war with myself. It felt natural to do this through making work that reflected my love for the female-identifying body.” So, as part of her studies at the Royal College of Art, the designer began to turn her friends’ body shapes into fibreglass moulds, separating the body from the self, and putting a distinct emphasis on the still questionable expectations of perfection engrained in fashion and society. For her graduate collection 23:19:26 in 2018, O’Dwyer solely focussed on the body of her best friend, naming the offering after her measurements.
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“The lack of consideration for the female body is very apparent in the outcome of a lot of brands’ products,” she continues. “I have seen this disregard cause practically every woman I have ever known to comment negatively on their body consistently due to poor fit of garments or comparison with the imagery we are surrounded with daily.”
That’s why it’s especially important to O’Dwyer to use her experiences and innovative technique as starting points for pushing for a wider shift in fashion, particularly when it comes to sizing and self-reflection. “I hope that the current generation of young people will grow up seeing much more diversity in the imagery that surrounds them. It’s what makes my work meaningful and motivates me to do it at all. It can’t just be about my personal narrative or aesthetics or a means for survival; I need it to be something more or I wouldn’t be in this industry.”
Photography JACQ HARRIET
Styling LEE TRIGG
Model KENYA SMITH
Casting TYTIAH BLAKE
Hair JAMES OXLEY using FUDGE
Make-up BOBANA PAROJCIC using SKYN ICELAND
Photography Assistant LARA ANGELIL
Casting Assistant CHARLIE BENJAMIN
Make-up Assistant LOWRI JONES
Header image: Bodysuit SINÉAD O’DWYER
