Meet the sisters behind Mastiff, the menswear brand handcrafted in Dublin
Lauren and Sadhbh Jackman have just launched Mastiff’s debut collection, Exordium, which was shaped by the emotional and societal realities of modern men — identity, expression, place, legacy.
We are Lauren and Sadhbh Jackman, the sisters behind Mastiff. Mastiff began as a way to make sense of our own identities after a major life upheaval and grew into a menswear house shaped by the four generations of female makers in our family.
Lauren is the designer, trained in tailoring. Sadhbh comes from theatre and narrative work. Together we are building a parallel world called the Mastiff District, where menswear becomes a space for structure, identity and self-expression. It is a world men can step into, rather than a story they are told about. A place built for them to explore who they are and how they want to carry themselves.
Our mission is to bring meaning and identity back to menswear. Every piece is created as an artefact with intention, designed to be collected rather than consumed. Structure, clarity and the legacy of self-expression shape everything we make. Mastiff is less about presenting a frame for who men should be, and more about offering a space where they can define that for themselves
We are currently launching our debut collection, Exordium. It includes eight pieces across outerwear, tailoring and refined essentials. The goal was to lay the foundation for future collections and for the world of the Mastiff District. We kept it conceptually simple, but focused heavily on craft, quality and integrating detailed design elements to capture the essence of Mastiff. Everything is handcrafted in our Dublin studio, with a mix of ready-to-wear pieces and outerwear that is made to order. Exordium was chosen for its meaning: the beginning of a discourse.
Finding the path
Lauren came to design naturally, but not conventionally. She always had an instinct for clothing, and our nana, a women’s tailor her entire life, was the first person to spot that she had “the hands” for it. A short course in Grafton Academy confirmed what had always been there, and she went on to study full fashion design.
For me, Sadhbh, storytelling was always the centre of everything. I trained as an actor, never imagining I would end up in fashion. But when Lauren began shaping Mastiff, I stepped in to help bring the brand to life. Very quickly, it became clear that her design language and my narrative instincts were two halves of the same thing.
Once we began building together, Mastiff took shape almost immediately: the world, the intention, the identity. It felt less like choosing a path and more like recognising the one that had been running beneath us our whole lives.
Working so closely with each other is the best and the maddest thing either of us has done. We’ve always been super close, and we balance each other in the right ways. Living and building a business together tests your sanity occasionally, but the trust is absolute. We know the other won’t drop the rope and that makes the impossible feel achievable.
The logistics
Money was definitely a concern starting out. We had no savings, no income, and no clear way to fund what we wanted to build. But once we clarified the vision for Mastiff, our family and friends stepped in and invested in us. Without them, Mastiff wouldn’t exist. It was a reminder that belief can be its own form of currency.
The best business advice we’ve gotten has been to focus on one thing, make it exceptional, and then scale. Our mentor, Ruth Larkin, put it simply: it’s incredibly hard for everyone; the ones who hang on are the ones who get somewhere. Pick yourself up and continue. That mentality has carried us.
The most useful learning since setting up the business has been that you truly can’t do everything at once. Pace is part of the process. Things take longer than you expect and that isn’t failure, it’s building. And you cannot do it alone. It takes a village.
The brands and designers to know
We’re continuously drawn to designers shaping conversation. We both agree Pellador is doing that here in Ireland in a really exciting way. Abroad, JW Anderson’s work at Dior and Sean McGirr’s direction at McQueen are constant reference points. And although not new, Alexander McQueen has always been and will always be our north star.
We also love Jack Murphy. We admire the heritage, the dedication to craft and the way the family has carried it forward through Sarah’s work. Even within our own family, our brother is building prescription safety eyewear and hair-restoration products for men, in different disciplines, same pull toward making something meaningful.
Our favourite fashion accounts to follow are ACRONYM, McQueen, A-Cold-Wall, and Rains. All are pushing structure and innovation in different ways.
For Lauren, her best fashion purchase has been her Run and Fly dungarees. They have become her personal uniform. For me, my AllSaints platform leather boots. They go with everything and do not cut your ankles, which feels like a small miracle.
The legacy
Our proudest moment so far was seeing the final pieces on the model for our first shoot. After a year of living inside the concept, it was the moment Mastiff became real and not just an idea between the two of us.
We want Mastiff to be remembered for bringing meaning and identity back to menswear and raising the standard of how men’s clothing is designed and considered.
If we could have anyone wear our designs, it would be Joseph Quinn. He has a thoughtful, grounded sense of style and we’re huge admirers of his work.
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