Future Focus: Fashion Designer Conaill O’Dwyer

In the latest installment of our Future Focus series?where we meet the Future Makers winners, we talk to?fashion designer Conaill O’Dwyer who is playing with the norms of traditional menswear.

How would you describe your style?
My style is quite graphic, playful and fun but grounded in traditional menswear. I’d like to think I’m providing a new style from the traditional.

What does winning a Future Makers award mean to you?
For me, it feels my hard work over the last year has paid off and inspired me to really examine where I want to be. It’s given me the chance to improve my skills and gain valuable experience.

What’s your favourite material to work with?
I tend to gravitate towards wools, experimenting with them such as the dyeing methods I used in my collection. Moving forward, my plastic bag material is also a favourite as there are so many possibilities with this material.

What are your?core design values?
For me, it’s important to make a statement and to be aware of what’s going on around you and the world. I’m not someone who just makes clothes with no meaning behind it. My core inspiration has always been the traditional man in society’s eyes, and my designs try to create a new norm to fit into the changing modern world.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
My goal is to set up my own design house one day so the dream would be to have a successful menswear label by that stage. As long as I feel I’m making creative work, I would be happy.

Photography by Sarah Doyle, modelled by Igor at Morgan The Agency