Sat 19th September
Robyn Lynch is an avid admirer of cycling gear, and has been ever since studying for her MA at the University of Westminster. “I am such a fan of the design and technicality. The pattern cutting to allow the form and posture for cycling is something I am so interested in,” the designer told us back in June, where she produced a capsule collection of one-of-a-kind hybrids whilst in lockdown that mixed deadstock Rapha fabrics with surplus materials leftover in her studio.
Now for SS21, the designer is looking inwards – continuing her on-going exploration of her Irish heritage with form-fitting Lycra in mind. Lynch looked to Taz Darling’s photographs of the Tour de Ireland in 2008 (one of which is blown up to create a lookbook backdrop) as a starting point. In homage to the brand logos that typically come across cycling jerseys, the designer created sponsorships of her own, adopting the logos of the companies that reside in Dublin’s Baldoyle Industrial Estate, which have each helped Lynch since she was studying for her BA at the National College of Art and Design.
Captured in a heartwarming film shot by the designer’s father Michael, the community of people who have helped the designer along the way – whether it be lending Lynch her first sewing machine or printing her lookbooks and line sheets – speak of the designer as if she’s a second daughter.
Each business logo – including her own family’s company Pearl Deli – plaster skin-tight tops and cycling jackets spliced with towelling and the designer’s signature cable knits.
This season marks Lynch’s first foray into womenswear, tightening her typical roomy silhouettes into flattering cuts and producing an excellent slew of nylon skirts; both cropped and ankle-length. Lynch wanted to replicate with this collection how Irish kids dressed when she was growing up. Now the girls of her hometown have a new wardrobe of their own.
Photographs by Andrew Nuding.
