Local student wins prestigious Brown Thomas designer award
Fashion design student Dennis Lawless from Edenderry, Co. Offaly has been named as this year’s winner of the Brown Thomas ‘Designer to Watch’ Bursary Award 2024.
Dennis is a final year student in the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) and the award was made based on the strength of his collection titled ‘In the Closet’.
As the winner of this year’s award, Dennis will receive a bursary worth €4,000 and the opportunity to display his collection in CREATE 2024 at Brown Thomas, a showcase of Ireland’s emerging design talent, alongside mentorship by the Brown Thomas executive team.
Announcing the winner at NCAD, Darren Feeney, Head of Art Direction and Creative, Brown Thomas Arnotts said: "We are so happy to work with NCAD for the ninth annual bursary prize, celebrating the amazing and new design talent in Ireland. It's always inspiring to see the innovative creations from the NCAD students each year. This year, the creativity was exceptional, and Dennis Lawless’s collection instantly caught our attention.
“His ability to tell a story through his designs, inspired by dolls and his playful childhood memories of dressing up in his mother’s closet. Each piece beautifully combined masculine and feminine elements. His presentation, from the photoshoot to the storytelling, was thoughtful and well-done. We can't wait to welcome him to our store for CREATE 2024."
Speaking about his collection, winner Dennis Lawless commented: "I'm incredibly honoured to receive this award. It's been an amazing journey at NCAD, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my work. This collection is very personal to me, inspired by my childhood and the joy of self-expression. My Mam was always a huge support encouraging me to follow my dreams and allowing me to be my authentic creative self, for this I am so grateful. I'm excited to showcase at the Brown Thomas CREATE 2024 in July."
Members of the public can view the students’ collections and designs as part of ‘NCAD Works’ 2024 at the National College of Art and Design graduate showcase encompassing Fashion and all graduating student disciplines, running from Friday 7 to Saturday 15 June.