SINÉAD O’DWYER, a designer who has showcased her collections in London for several seasons, brought her body-positive designs to Copenhagen Fashion Week for the first time this season. Copenhagen holds a special place for O’DWYER, as her wife, Otilie, is Danish. “I’ve been to Copenhagen many times. I saw a few shows when we first started dating,” she told Vogue ahead of her Spring/Summer 2025 collection. “It’s a really beautiful city.” However, O’DWYER recognizes that her designs don’t quite fit into the classic Nordic aesthetic. “My brand is very much the opposite of Scandinavian,” she laughs, acknowledging the evolution of Copenhagen’s fashion scene in recent years. For example, her friend, Danish designer ALECTRA ROTHSCHILD, has been making waves with her daring, club-inspired designs for several seasons. Rothschild even walked in O’DWYER’s show, alongside O’DWYER’s wife, sister, and the casting director’s mother, showcasing the close-knit community that O’DWYER has cultivated. While her designs may not be a typical representation of Nordic fashion, O’DWYER’s vision aligns with Copenhagen Fashion Week’s values of sustainability and inclusivity. This is likely why she was chosen for this year’s Zalando Visionary Award, a prestigious honor awarded to emerging brands that meet Copenhagen Fashion Week’s sustainability criteria and excel in design, social impact, and innovation. “It’s a really unique award, in the sense that it’s meant to be for independent brands that are really trying to solve the structural problems in the fashion industry, whether that’s sustainability or the way clothes are made,” she explains. For O’DWYER, who uses models of diverse body types in her fittings, the financial support and mentorship that comes with the award are invaluable to her continued success. “There’s not really a system in place to financially support designers who are making multiple sample sizes, like me,” she notes, highlighting the challenges facing the fashion industry. “We’re fighting to find ways to make clothes sustainably.” O’DWYER’s collection, aptly titled “Nostalgia,” reflects the designer’s personal journey and her desire to create a world where everyone feels included. “The collection overall is nostalgic,” she shares, revealing that she was inspired by the feeling of “freedom” she experienced during a year spent in North Carolina as a teenager. “It’s where I first felt like I truly fit in, and it’s where I fell in love.” The sense of belonging that she discovered during her youth is evident in O’DWYER’s work, from her signature knitwear to the models who walk her runway. O’DWYER prioritizes inclusivity in every aspect of her brand. This season, she cast Lucy Edwards, an influencer and activist who is visually impaired, as one of her models. She also provided an audio experience for blind guests, mirroring last season’s efforts. “We really love our shows because we have such a diverse range of people on the runway,” she says. “It’s really important for us to create a moment where everyone comes together.”
SINÉAD O’DWYER’s Body-Positive Designs Take Copenhagen Fashion Week by Storm
