IN THE confines of 180 Studios, Sinéad O’Dwyer‘s autumn-winter 2025 transcended barriers surrounding inclusivity, rebellion, and sensuality, and immediately illustrated her strength as a recently announced 2025 LVMH Prize Semi-Finalist.
For AW25, Sinéad O’Dwyer’s signature fuse of delicate dominance was reflected in a pool of characters and narrative depth which has populated the brand since its creation. For the brand’s final show as a recipient of the BFC’s NEWGEN scheme, O’Dwyer elevates the label to a territory of gentle fluidity and leather-clad sexuality.
Sheer organza dresses and leather trousers with criss-cross lacing motifs carried the collection into a layer of kink and consideration, elevated further by calf and thigh boots. Created in collaboration with Grounds, the boots nodded to O’Dwyer’s Irish roots by evoking an image similar to traditional Irish dancing shoes.
Infused with energy, the Japanese footwear brand’s signature bubble soles were fused with a squiggle knit sock, and paired with the playfully sculptural pencil skirt, which puffed out into a bubble hem at the calf.
Elsewhere, footwear was sponsored by PUMA, with models wearing the sweetly feminine Speedcat ballet flats and H-Street sneakers. Sexual empowerment shone through with an H-shaped harness, cut-outs, and the brand’s signature zinc alloy sex toy trims. Polished cowhide in black and oxblood offered micro-culottes with ‘windowpane’ belts, capes and cropped trench coats, while leather micro kilts took the heat up a notch.
O’Dwyer confidently signals herself as a designer with consistent growth, as we see an updated version of the brand’s shibari technique in a shirred and sleeveless satin dress, crimson and blazing. Looks are chain-stitched with Amber beads and dainty knits in dusty pink are layered over the brand’s signature supportive shirts.
High-collared jackets, leotards, and a spiral-seamed jean in a vintage wash, are all heroes of O’Dwyer’s evolution in denim, while tailoring of a double-breasted blazer and a burgundy leather jacket do not contort, but compliment the body.
The collection’s theme, ‘Character Studies’, is a stunning showcase of the world Sinéad O’Dwyer continues to build, and can only fuel excitement for her potential. The thoughtful codes of retrospection, empowerment, and progression formed a show beyond worthy of the recognition O’Dwyer is beginning to receive.
by Madeleine Ringer