ROBYN LYNCH celebrates her first stand-alone presentation with a collection that creates narrative through cut, contrast and silhouette. For autumn/winter 2020, ROBYN spent time on Inis Oirr, an Irish island with a population of 260. There, she saw how clothing connects generations, a splicing of styles that brings together a community.
“It’s like a different world. When you step back there, it’s like time stops. It’s these young lads and these older men, living by their own rules. It’s what I love about clothes, how they can tell stories about the way we live,” says ROBYN.
For AW20, ROBYN cuts and contrasts three modes of men’s dressing – tailoring. functionality. leisure. Her signature is found in plays of scale, as well as the mix of fabric and function. It’s a wardrobe of pieces of both practicality and pleasure, all with a cheekiness and a no-messing point of view.
The Truman Brewery, London UK. 4th January 2020. Robyn Lynch shows her Autumn Winter 2020 designs at her catwalk show. © Maja Smiejkowska
Grey Irish linen, woven in Donegal, is cut into tailored jackets and pants that are spliced with panels of grey nylon, the waistband of the tailored pants cut and combined with an elasticated panel.
ROBYN creates a print inspired by Aertel, the Irish Teletext channel. Teletext is a pre-internet information service run through the TV, showing just how quickly our way of telling stories has changed. ROBYN uses the print on cotton jersey long-sleeves, as well as Lycra long-sleeves inspired by the story of the Irish bobsleigh team.
Pictures: The Truman Brewery, London UK. 4th January 2020. Robyn Lynch shows her Autumn Winter 2020 designs at her catwalk show. © Maja Smiejkowska
Oversized Aran knits are cut and spliced in so many ways, like a black Aran sweater contrasted with nylon side panels of the teletext print. Meanwhile, navy Aran sweaters have fleece collars and nylon side panels, and a grey Aran sweater has a grey nylon front panel that can be flipped and worn at the back.
Waterproof zip-up jackets in black or grey are cut with a roomy silhouette for both lads and granddads. They come with the detachable front panel of an Aran knit vest, making them both cosy and lighter weight. Grey zip-up tracksuit tops come with panels of grey Aran knit at the side.
It’s all about the layers, like fleece trackpants spliced with a waistband of of grey nylon, or black denim jeans with an added black nylon waistband. Windbreaker pants go over everything,
especially in a print taken from Teletext algorhythms. It’s a print that also appears combined with the Teletext print on a full look tracksuit top and pants.
ROBYN LYNCH is holding her first solo presentation after two seasons as part of FASHION EAST. She graduated from the University of Westminster MA menswear course in 2018, immediately
establishing her brand that’s rooted in the underexplored contemporary culture of her native Ireland.
Titlepicture: The Truman Brewery, London UK. 4th January 2020. Robyn Lynch shows her Autumn Winter 2020 designs at her catwalk show. © Maja Smiejkowska
