Photography: Alla Bogdanovich
RTE
The luck of the stylish: Irish designers rule London Fashion Week
Banshee of Savile Row: Art and Tailoring Collide
Tuesday, 25 Feb 2025
London Fashion Week (20-24 February) has long been a launchpad for global talent, but this season, Irish designers commanded the spotlight with collections that masterfully intertwined heritage, craftsmanship, and contemporary vision.
What made this season remarkable wasn't just the presence of Irish designers at LFW, but the deeply personal, unapologetically Irish narratives they wove into their work.
Irish fashion has often been defined by craftsmanship, storytelling, and an ability to merge history with the contemporary. This season, London bore witness to that legacy in full force.
These designers are not just making clothes; they’re shaping narratives, redefining traditions, and proving that Irish fashion is not just part of the conversation - it is leading it.
Saturday evening saw Irish designer Ruby Slevin’s Banshee of Savile Row take an avant-garde approach to tailoring with Interwoven, a collaboration with artist Eleanor Ekserdjian. Hosted at Messums London, the show blurred the line between fashion and fine art.
Models moved fluidly through the gallery space, weaving around the artist as Ekserdjian painted her signature ink print directly onto a model draped in a floor-length, double-breasted white jacket.
Slevin’s designs featured masterful tailoring infused with an organic artistic edge. The collection included standout pieces such as a structured herringbone jacket and mini skirt and a '70s-inspired red velvet suit.
The line featured hand-painted abstract-printed silks from the partnership with Ekserdjian, resulting in one-of-a-kind pieces where brushstrokes became part of the garments, reinforcing the collection’s theme of art as a living entity.
As the first exclusively bespoke womenswear brand on Savile Row, Banshee is redefining luxury tailoring. Rooted in Irish folklore and traditional craftsmanship, Slevin brings her heritage to the forefront, incorporating Irish linens and tweeds in her lines while challenging the traditional menswear-dominated space.