Davina Lynch is a very talented milliner who is able to create a high quality beautiful ‘Lynch mob’ hat to a show stopping once off couture headpiece. It is not every designer that can turn their hand to such different creations and it truly shows the level of skill that Davina possesses.
When I visited the CREATE exhibit in Brown Thomas earlier this year and seen Davina Lynch’s pieces in person I was simply blown away. They were so intricate and detailed that it was hard to believe that they were hand crafted. I have been a fan of her’s for quite a while but actually seeing her pieces in person was just amazing. And I am beyond delighted to be featuring her on the blog today.
Do you remember your first memory of fashion?
I would think that it was watching my Mum getting ready for my aunts wedding and Princess Diana, it was the 80’s! I also remember Aran jumper knitting patterens and Vogue patterns.
Millinery is such a fascinating area of design and really allows the designer to be so creative and experiment in so many colours and materials. What drew you to millinery over fashion design?
I studied Fashion Design in Limerick School of Art and Design. I then moved to London where I worked for Clements Ribeiro. After a few months I missed being creative myself so I decided to do a short course. I wanted to do Handbag making but the course was full up, it was a 5 week course before Christmas so I decided to do the Millinery course and do the Bag course after Christmas, I didn’t end up doing the bag course, I absolutely loved the Millinery course and my tutor, Ian Bennett encouraged me to continue also.
Your pieces are unlike anything else that I have seen and I love the dramatic style of some of you pieces like the Athena and the Rhea. Where do you draw your inspiration from for art like these?
Awe thank you very much!! Well the WhiteStar collection is based on memories from my Childhood garden in Crover, Co. Cavan. A combination of flowers, birds- feathers, a floral arch created some shapes, Aran knitting, a Cadbury Flake ad where a lady sits in a boat floating down a stream in a cave which I used to think was the steam beside my house (Pre-Raphaelites), my She-Ra Doll and Origami, the Japanese Art of Paper Folding. I combined techniques I love to do, hand cutting feathers, all the feathers in Athena and Rhea are hand cut Turkey and Ostrich Feathers and I love Origami. There is some handknititng in Athena and I love to combine Crystals and Pearls.
Your collection is so diverse and the Lynchmob Collection looks so chic and cosy and very different to your more dramatic pieces. Which do you prefer to create?
Oh I love them both, I couldn’t choose!!! I really enjoy creating both collections and the techniques are so different so it is nice to be able to create both, I am very lucky.
Do you have a preferred fabric/textile to work with?
I do love to knit! I also love feathers, hand cutting and shaping them, I love Origami and flower making also. I also love to use Felt when blocking hats.
Do you have a favourite piece that you have made or a piece that really stands out to you?
Em well, I love my LynchMobHats and I don’t think I could choose any of the WhiteStar hats as I made a connection with each one when I creating them. I do love the first hat I made and my graduate collection from Kensington and Chelsea College.
Although I am sure it will be hard to choose but what has been your proudest career moment to date?
Yes, that is hard to choose, there are highlights, I won The River Island/Accessory 4 competition when my design was produced and sold in River Island stores.
Definitely been selected for Brown Thomas Create in 2015 and 2016 and been asked to design and create an exclusive collection for Brown Thomas Marvel Room last Christmas. I was also commissioned by Pfizer and Cadbury Ireland to create pieces for their advertising campaign.
My understanding is that you have studied in some fantastic colleges – from the Limerick School of Art and Design to the prestigious Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design and also the Kensington and Chelsea College. Which course did you take the most from?
I loved Kensington and Chelsea College, I studied my final year in Millinery here, the course was amazing as were my tutors, Ian Bennett and Kirsten Scott. I really loved all my colleges and learned so much from each.
What does the future hold for Davina Lynch Millinery?
I am continuing to focus on my LynchMobHats and also Bridal pieces. Its that time of year again so I am organising Classes and Millinery talks.
A massive thank you to Davina for the interview. She is such an inspiring milliner and I never know what wonderful creation that she will create and I love that about her work. I would highly recommend going to her website to see her latest pieces and there is also an online shop where you can purchase her work. Davina Lynch Millinery is also on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
If you enjoyed this interview in the ‘Floralesque Meets’ Series, then you can click here to read more exciting interviews with designers, creators, artists, photographers, entrepreneurs and more – enjoy meeting the makers!
All images kindly provided for use by Davina.
