Kent and Curwen, Standing Ground and Richard Quinn

London is becoming something of a mecca for Irish design, particularly this Saturday with shows from Dubliner Daniel Kearns' Kent & Curwen to Standing Ground by County Clare's Michael Stewart and Richard Quinn, whose mother is from Donegal. All three presented very clearly defined fashion proposals this weekend.

Kent & Curwen: growing into their own skin

It was instructive that in a week when some 35,000 pupils at a British academy were banned from taking mobile phones to class, one attended Kent & Curwen's latest collection, whose raison d'être was coming-of-age in college uniforms.

The performance was held at another university, the Royal Academy, and the multinational cast paraded alongside dozens of statues of gods and ancient myths recreated by students from London's oldest art school.

A spring/summer 2025 show that opened with school blazers, pleated skirts, shorts, knee-high socks and literary novels in leather cases. All very formal, but subverted by the artistic attitude and excellent detailing. Kent & Curwen has always played with British symbols (the red rose of Yorkshire or the three lions) and did so in these clothes.

In case you missed the message, each seat was left with lunch boxes containing water, a sketchbook, a red apple and, of course, chocolate milk, the delicious Montezuma's. There was also a white Kent & Curwen cricket cap, several of which were sported by Asian rockers and film stars, including the decorous Hu Liangxin, a young Chinese film star who wore the brand's logo-printed jacket and skirt.

Kent & Curwen creative director Daniel Kearns is no slouch when it comes to tailoring, designing some great blazers finished with matching fabric roses on the breast pocket. As this is English tailoring, there were plenty of trench coats with bandolier lapels and a smart cut.

He also dabbled in castles, selected from ties found in the brand’s archives, and used them on silk cocktails, scarves and silver pendants. “Becoming the king of your own castle,” Daniel explained.

There were too many shorts and too much magenta, which would have elicited a wry smile from Sabato De Sarno at Gucci. While all the fur-lined sandals might have elicited a chuckle from Alessandro Michele. But overall, this was a good collection that climaxed at the finale with some gorgeously cut coats with clever bowed fabric lapels.

“Our core identity is school uniform. We dress schools all over the UK and also sports clubs. So it was about leaving school uniform behind and growing as yourself. Focusing on that time between college and university,” explained Kearns, whose son Bailey is doing exactly that in his first week at university in Bristol. As a result, the soundtrack included Bristol bands such as Massive Attack and the dub of Maximum Joy.

“Tampering with a uniform is a particularly British idea,” concluded Kearns, a Jesuit-educated boy in Dublin.

And what do you think about the iPhone ban? “My son is talking about putting aside the iPhone, so we’ll see what the younger generation does.”

Standing Ground: Michael Stewart breaks new ground

Excellent turnout for Standing Ground by Michael Stewart, recent winner of the LVMH Savoir Faire Prize.

From Dover Street Market CEO Adrian Joffe and the world's most important mentor, LVMH's Sophie Brocart, to every major critic in London this weekend, the collection was well worth the effort.

Hyper-elegant, ethereal and draped with extreme confidence, this was a revealing stylistic expression from Stewart in her first major independent show.

The event took place at 180 Strand, a fashion show space and former office building that houses incubation spaces for young designers, like Stewart himself.

“I wanted to prove that I could improve the work and that I was making progress,” said Stewart, so hoarse from working late that he could barely speak.

Stewart clearly yearns for the shapes of ancient stones and the interaction of people with them, resulting in sculptural, imposing looks, as the name of her brand suggests. Though her latest work was more refined in style – her sculptural forms were finished with breaded strands and soft tentacles. One could have used a few more cocktail dresses, but beyond that quibble, this was a great announcement from a designer with a very singular vision.

Richard Quinn: How to dress for the right occasion

You have to give Richard Quinn credit for being a brave designer. Or rather, a couturier, because that is what this elegant collection represents.

See catwalk

In a very real sense, this was probably the most technically daring show by a British couturier to ever show in London. From the daring detailing of her duchess satin gowns with the deepest pleats to the extraordinary beaded tulle cocktail dresses with crystal lattice bodices.

Quinn is also London's most competent fabric printer, whose knack for using Photoshop, giant printers and colourful flourishes results in some gorgeous floral prints. A rose print on ecru satin and a crinoline (complete with unexpected pockets) was sensational.

Richard, an admirably generous figure, hosted a cheerful pre-show cocktail party in the lobby of the Dorchester, the grand dame of London hotels, recently lovingly restored. This was not the usual London Fashion Week crowd, made up largely of Quinn's international clientele. After a negroni and dry champagne, one entered a chandelier-lit ballroom topped with a wall of white flowers by the florist Philip Hammond. The music from a choir and the London Chamber Orchestra, which played sparkling versions of tracks such as Linkin Park and Jay-Z's 'Numb/Encore', was phenomenal.

The sense of a grand event was pervasive throughout the show, especially in the final 14 all-white looks, from slinky satin gowns with pearl-studded bodices to a bride in a silver jumpsuit that left a trail of beads on the black carpet runway.

The collection, Quinn explained in his programme note, was dedicated to a woman who “values ​​the act of dressing for the occasion.” The greatest of these was this show, designed by Carine Roitfeld with sublime chignon hairdos by Sam McKnight. The most refined of the couture creations at Park Lane.