Since her SS2013 launch collection, Irish-born Danielle Romeril is taking the fashion world by storm. Her playful considered designs showcase her ability as an innovative and fresh thinker, with a clear and focused vision. Now showing at London Fashion Week as part of the prestigious NEWGEN platform, she is carving out her own unique niche within the industry.
You left Ireland to study at the Royal College of Art and now run your label from London. What are the positives of being based here?
The museums, the galleries, the stylists, the magazines, the factories, the street style, the clubs, the people; everything a fashion capital and melting pot metropolis has to offer!
Can you tell us about your creative process or describe what goes through your head when it’s time to design a new collection?
Never the same thing twice! I guess each new season comes a new inspiration and with the new inspiration often a new approach, some seasons there will be a lot of sketching, some seasons more fabric development or 3D work. Every season I want to feel fresh and new – a new mood and a new approach is what keeps me entertained and excited by what I do. I love being able to reinvent my aesthetic every six months but with the new there is always a struggle and a few weeks where you pull your hair out and go a bit loopy!
Your fabrications often include unlikely objects like tape or plastic, could you talk about the importance of these touches?
These unusual fabrications and combinations are what excite me and propel me and where I feel comfortable I guess. It’s just what marks me out as a designer. If that is what people notice about me then in a round about way it then becomes a key element to the brand but not in a contrived or forced way.
Does your work reflect your own personal style?
I don’t think I am a particularly stylish person, I spend my time trying to create and innovate but I don’t spend much time crafting my identity – really I would always rather be backstage crafting someone else’s. I would love to own more beautiful jewellery though – if there’s a donor out there?
You collaborate with Irish millinery designer Laura Kinsella, how does this work? Why is millenary important to your looks?
Laura is great – a really flexible, versatile, exciting designer and it’s a real pleasure to collaborate with her. She is so full of ideas but really enjoys designing to complement other’s work. I guess I’ve always liked hats! The head is what we look at first and it can really set the tone for how we view someone. It can add drama, add laid back outdoorsy charm. A hat is like good haircut – powerful stuff.
How does receiving high profile endorsements like NEWGEN elevate your brand?
It changes how people perceive you or how open they are to really looking at what you do. Fashion is about the new, the different and a stamp of approval that says “new and fresh” is a helpful thing.
Your SS2015 presentation at LFW was an immersive environment, could you replicate this on the catwalk?
Not easily, I think some of the most interesting fashion moments can happen in a more intimate presentation environment.
What are the positives about being a fashion designer?
Occasionally getting decent goodie bags!
Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring fashion designers graduating today?
Have a point of view, work hard, stay patient and you will get there.
Interview by Gemma A Williams.
Photographer:Liam Murphy
Stylist: Kieran Killagallon
Make up: Leonard Daly using Tom Ford Make Up
Hair:David Cashman @ Morgan the Agency
Model: Eve @ Distinct Model Management
Portrait of Danielle Romeril by Johnny MacMillan