Offaly fashion student secures paid internship with River Island

National College of Art and Design (NCAD) final year fashion design student, Dennis Lawless, from Edenderry, has been chosen as the winner of the 2024 River Island NCAD Fashion Design Bursary.

Dennis (23) will receive a bursary of €3,500 and will have the fantastic opportunity to complete a three-month paid internship at River Island’s design studio in London.

This year marks the 20th year of the River Island Bursary which offers final year fashion design students at NCAD the chance to win a paid internship at River Island. The bursary will provide Dennis with an invaluable first step into the commercial fashion world with past winners having seen their designs sold in stores worldwide.

This year the NCAD students were briefed to consider their favourite River Island moment in time and use this to create the ultimate celebration collection. Taking inspiration from iconic River Island pieces such as famous print t-shirts, sleek tailoring, wow dresses and boutique knits, the student’s designs were then submitted to River Island to be judged by their in-house design team.

Dennis’ winning collection was designed for individuals who use clothing as a dynamic form of self-expression and fearlessly break fashion norms.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent, Dennis said that he was “very surprised” to win the competition.

“I can't believe it. I'm looking forward so much to moving to London in September for the internship and, obviously, I'm over the moon.”

Speaking about the inspiration for his design, the aspiring fashion designer said that the students were tasked with celebrating a River Island moment in time. He decided to use a blue River Island suit he once wore to a wedding as the basis for a collection of gender neutral pieces incorporating aspects of men’s and women’s fashion more typically seen in luxury fashion.

Dennis said that he looked at combining a shared wardrobe by celebrating the best of women's wear and men's wear. “I kind of was looking at the placement of men tailoring on the body and like making it more feminine by making it into skirts but kind of keeping the style lines of the masculine.”

Inspired by the Offaly man's childhood experiences with clothing, self-discovery and identity, the collection offers modular gender fluid pieces that are bold and experimental. He studied at St Mary's Secondary School, Edenderry before pursuing fashion design at NCAD.

Dennis previously completed an internship working for fashion designer, Molly Goddard last summer. He added that it was “really nice to win the competition” and to have the opportunity to return to London. “It gets me over to London and gives me a stable job for three months which is a really great experience.”

Dennis said that he would love a job in design in the future, whether it's in high end or high street fashion. “That's the dream, But to kind of get that ball rolling and to start off in a company like River Island that's well established is amazing.”

The Dublin-based man is also looking forward to NCAD’s upcoming show on June 7 which will showcase the final year fashion design students’ work from the past year.

Senior designer at River Island, Naomi Robertson, explained: “We decided to choose Dennis as the bursary winner as he showed inclusive forward thinking; fusing the idea of structured tailoring with soft feminine tulle to create a true wow piece that really embodied the brief. At River Island we are dedicated to employing talented young fashion graduates and through the NCAD bursary in Ireland we continue to fulfil this promise.”

The bursary, which was first launched in 2004, has proven to be extremely successful for aspiring fashion designers studying at NCAD, with many past winners going on to become full-time staff members of River Island’s 100 strong design team.

"The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) occupies a unique position in art and design education in Ireland, offering the widest range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level. It is ranked in the top 1% globally for Art & Design,” said Head of Design for Body and Environment at NCAD, Angela O’Kelly.

“The River Island competition project enhances our provision of real-world learning.

Designing direct with industry develops the students professional skill sets and core competencies while developing knowledge and expertise in key areas of innovative high street fashion design.

The winning prize of a bursary and placement in the River Island design studios in London offer invaluable experience for our graduates and a superb launch pad into the fashion industry,” concluded Ms O'Kelly.