WHAT IF MALLORCA IS WHERE POETRY CAN BE FOUND? ROBYN LYNCH SS23 AT LONDON FASHION WEEK

This season London Fashion Week was rather a fashion weekend. Most of the more established British designers and London-based heritage brands, including the likes of Vivienne Westwood or Burberry, were missed on the catwalks for S/S23. 

Some decided to present their collections according to a more gender neutral calendar or simply opted for a Paris Fashion Week launch instead. 

What was left was an amazing opportunity for newer creatives to shine without being overshadowed by the presence of the industry’s powerhouses. It may have lacked of elitism for some but at Numéro Berlin we take at heart supporting emerging talents and discovering fashion through different lenses and perspectives.

It’s with the aim of sharing the beauty found in the work of London’s coolest emerging creatives that we collaborated with Welsh photographer Lowri Cooper who explores the crafts through a raw, magnifying glass. Cooper takes us in the backstages of London Fashion Week and captured, with her unique saturated and glossed style, all the silhouettes we need to see from closer, the details we missed and everything appealing to her eyes -or to ours, it’s menswear after all.

Our second instalment of the week is Robyn Lynch. The Dublin-born designer turned 30 on the day of her SS23 runway presentation at London Fashion Week. I’ve been following this menswear brand for a while now but never got the opportunity to dig deeper into it. You can imagine my excitement attending this show – on this special occasion. Expectations are always matched when the designer in question is a Fashion East alumni.

I’ve always been amazed by people who manage to find poetry in the mundane and beautify it. Reinventing the magic over and over again. I didn’t knew you can have me think of a student trip to Mallorca in a poetic way. Robyn Lynch did. The one who usually digs in her dads closet to find gems of inspiration decided, this season, to recruit another muse and explored her mom wardrobe in quest of anything that sparks joy.
What bring more joy to an Irish than a wool jumper? You may ask. Well apparently a neon smiley T-shirt bought in Mallorca by Susan Lynch as a memory of vacations spent there in 1983.

When I think of smiley t-shirt, I generally don’t actually – I don’t think about something I necessarily would wear myself. That’s where Lynch‘s design work become interesting. From this old, worn-out artefact, she creates something desirable and very poetic – an heirloom-. If you see an aggressively white guy wearing a Mallorca Ireland neon tee in London fields this summer, that’ll be me.

Overall the collection is very well done. Lynch signature knits are re-interpreted in sleeveless version for the summer and the whole collection give-off the vibe that every item have being thrifted by cool guys. Souvenir tees from all over the world have been reinterpreted in a sarcastic way to pay homage to Susan Lynch’s smiley one. Another staple of the collection is the transparent trouser, which are made from a thin nylon material. A whole new dimension just opened to us and we’ll now start layering our pants for style purpose.

Destiny or not, I can’t help but think about Robyn’s mother purchasing her Mallorca tee in the beginning of the 80’s. She must have been far from knowing that one day a replica would be turned into the finest of fashion and sent down the runway during an international fashion week. Thank you Robyn for being the one who find the beauty in the everyday world. We need more designer like you. Especially in menswear.

Words by Marien Brandon

Photography by Lowri Cooper

All looks from Robyn Lynch SS23 via Wearevillage