Campus chic: ‘Student dressing tends to be outside the norm’

This article is part of a series curated by students and recent graduates from colleges and universities in Ireland
The final-year NCAD fashion student from Wicklow blends simple clothing with flamboyance. “A lot of fashion students dress up at the start but move into cosy or more comfortable wear when things get pressurised,” says Petrin. “Normally I wear casual clothes like a sleeveless black tank with blue jeans, or I go crazy with a halter-neck sleeveless top or a crazy puffball dress or I make something from the fabrics I have in my bedroom. A lot of my stuff is second hand, with a few essentials from Primark, Zara or H&M. My hair is waist-length – I have been growing it for three years, so it can be worn in all sorts of ways: up, down, in buns. This metallic top is from Zara and the hat was bought in the Navigli Canal in Milan.”
Leavy is from Stamullen, Co Meath, and her graduate collection is inspired by her grandmother Annemarie Leavy, an artist who studied in NCAD and was famous for her paint coats, on which she would inscribe little messages. “She was a very colourful woman with a lot of cool stuff in her wardrobe,” says Leavy. “My style is very fun and colourful, and I love different prints. Most of my clothes are from charity shops or Depop, but I also wear a lot of my mam’s old clothes. I try not to shop fast fashion too much as it’s bad for the environment, but I like to find one-off pieces that nobody else has – my best was a really cool white Victorian nightdress, which I got in a St Vincent de Paul shop in Balbriggan. In first year I would dress up every single day, but when deadlines crop up, you dress more for comfort – so that’s jeans and jumpers but still trying to keep it colourful because it makes my mood better. I interned with Molly Goddard in London for six months and this blue ball gown is from her.”
The NCAD student from Kildare is half Irish and half Chinese, and a distant cousin of Simone Rocha. Liu Coonan likes high fashion mixed with staples from charity shops. “I guess I am influenced by what I see online or cool stuff from the runways, so I try to re-create the silhouettes. I am quite adventurous and being an NCAD student gives you a free pass to dress more adventurously and in a less orthodox way. I have a long black pleated skirt like a Yohji Yamamoto or Comme des Garçons, but I style it in my own way. I use a lot online from Adverts, eBay and DoneDeal – almost better and not as popular as Depop. I always had an interest in clothes and even at four, going to the creche, I wanted to dress in my own way. I think I consider myself an outsider and the idea of dressing in a more avant-garde way makes me feel more comfortable.”
Coleman, from Clondalkin, is studying radio in BCFE (Ballyfermot College of Further Education) and has ambitions to produce a talk radio show. She loves big shoes and baggy trousers and wears a lot of black and navy. “I love my leather jacket – it’s a statement piece I bought in Urban Outfitters. When I feel like a change, I dye my hair every two or three months – at the moment it is red. I shop in Urban Outfitters, charity and good vintage shops in Dublin and I buy from Depop – I recently got a rugby jersey there. I used to buy from Shein when I was younger, but I try to stay away from fast fashion and go for slow fashion like a lot of my friends. You must invest the time, but it helps the environment. My style is generally more masculine – I don’t wear a lot of skirts and prefer wide leg trousers or baggy jeans and one of my go-to items is a pair of New Rock shoes with three-inch platforms, a Spanish brand I bought on eBay.”
This final-year student at Limerick School of Art and Design is from Laois. She is just back from placements with Hugo Boss in Switzerland and Dior in Paris and is developing a menswear collection focusing on textiles and knit. “My style is quite textural and playful with a lot of knit. I like an oversized fit on suiting, blazers and trousers. I buy mostly from charity shops, which are much better in Ireland, and I have an eye for interesting knitwear. Student dressing tends to be outside the norm and usually there are a lot of second-hand pieces. In Limerick there is quite a diverse mix [of students] and dynamic creative spaces for such a small city. How students dress and do their hair develops from first to fourth year because people play with clothes and identity.”
Lynch, a Dubliner, likes to make a statement with her clothes. “Maybe that has to do with repressing my sexuality and gender identity as a kid. I am really into 1980s-style shoulder pads at the moment and I always rummage through charity shops along with vintage ones. I am also getting into sewing and upcycling. Being in art college, student fashion is very creative and a lot of trans and queer people dress flamboyantly. Self-expression comes into it and I try everything once. I have a big fake fur Cruella de Vil coat – a little Glenn Close moment – in cream and black check, which I got for €20 in a charity shop in Limerick. My big bright pink glasses are my signature and my hair is short and curly and I shave it all over once a year and then dye it. I love loads of jewellery, big chunky rings and chains with locks, very dramatic.”