DEREK LAWLOR:Born in Portlaoise, Lawlor studied textile design at Central St Martins, graduating with an MA degree in fashion design in 2009.
He started his own knitwear label almost immediately, focusing on texture with lots of embroidery worked into the knit. "I use knit as a canvas," he says, "and work into it techniques like cording which I develop myself." Currently showing in Shoreditch with a five-designer collective, he is also working at the Royal Ballet using dancers as models for his knits. In April he will present his collection at Brown Thomas. dereklawlor.com
GEMMA WILLIAMS
From Cloughjordan in Co Tipperary, Williams studied film and broadcasting at the Dublin Institute of Technology, graduating in 2001. A few years later she completed an MA in fashion curation at the London College of Fashion (LCF). “It’s the only course of its kind in Europe,” she says. She has curated fashion exhibitions for the Fashion Space Gallery at the LCF and at London Fashion Week. Her next exhibition in June for the Irish Embassy showcases the work of emerging Irish designers. Her exhibition exploring contemporary millinery on the catwalk is at the Fashion Space Gallery until March 23rd.