‘It beautifully combines masculine and feminine elements’ – NCAD talent wins two bursaries for ‘In the Closet’ collection

NCAD fashion design student Dennis Lawless, from Edenderry, Co Offaly, is this year’s winner of the Brown Thomas Arnotts ‘Designer to Watch’ bursary award

The 23-year-old is a final-year fashion design student in the National College of Art and Design (NCAD).

The keenly contested award was made based on the strength of his collection titled “In the Closet” and he receives a €4,000 bursary, mentorship and an invite to show in the annual Create event in the Grafton Street store in July.

It was a pinch-me moment yesterday when Dennis heard the news because only 14 days earlier, he scooped the River Island NCAD student bursary, which is worth €3,500 with a paid internship with the fashion group at its London HQ.

Angela O’Kelly, head of design for body and environment at NCAD, confirmed this was the first time a student had won both of the bursaries for final-year fashion students.

Posing for photographs with model Olan wearing his “Babydoll knitted dress” in navy, white and mustard, Dennis said he was “incredibly honoured” to hear the news of his latest win.

He explained the background to the dress and those childhood days when he was “designer of my fantastical world”.

“I based this dress on a doll’s dress I knitted with my granny when I was 10 years old and it’s kind of a real-life reimagining of that childhood doll,” Dennis explained.

He was quick yesterday to ring home and share the news with his mother, Louise Lawless, and his granny, Colette Collins, who celebrated her 80th birthday this month.

Dennis’s childhood and the joy of self-expression inspired the collection which, he said “is very personal to me”.

“The white dress is based on my mother’s wedding dress. I would go into her wardrobe and play dress-up and it is based on the lace in the dress.

“My mam was always a huge support, encouraging me to follow my dreams and allowing me to be my authentic, creative self. For this I am so grateful. I’m excited to showcase at the Brown Thomas Create 2024 in July.”

From playing with dolls to donning his mother’s s garments, Dennis says that each piece in the collection is “inspired by the essence of imaginat­ive self-expression, celebrating a time when I was the designer of my fantastical world”.

He said that the “emotionally resonant collection is an invitation for real people to embrace their true selves and to playfully explore the spectrum of identities and expressions through the transformative power of clothing”.

Darren Feeney, head of art direction and creative at Brown Thomas Arnotts, praised Dennis’s ability to tell a story through his designs, inspired by dolls and his playful childhood memories of dressing up in his mother’s closet.

“This year, the creativity was exceptional, and Dennis Lawless’s collection instantly caught our attention. Each piece beautifully combined masculine and feminine elements. His presentation, from the photoshoot to the storytelling, was thoughtful and well-done. We can’t wait to welcome him to our store for Create.”

Members of the public can view the students’ collections and designs as part of ‘NCAD Works’ 2024 at the National College of Art and Design graduate showcase encompassing fashion and all graduating student disciplines, running from June 7 to 15.