Sculpture and fashion are fundamentally about three-dimensional shape and form, and often cross boundaries. Fashion designers including Richard Malone and Simone Rocha are known for voluminous shapes and expressive sculptural silhouettes that move around the body, taking up space.
Rising Irish fashion star Lia Cowan, who describes her frothy creations as modular, playful, big and loud, always credits her sculptural background as key when designing these pieces.
A glamorous and artistic family, with an extensive archive of family photographs, also informs her work. Cowan’s latest collection, called Melody in A, for instance, is influenced by performative music, specifically a piece of music written by her grandmother Phyllis Cowan for the piano when she was 12 years old.
“She was something of a child prodigy,” says Cowan, “performing the piece in the Capitol Theatre in Dublin with an orchestra when she was 13. I designed these pieces in response to this music, imagining them dancing in a ballet.”
Cowan’s floral technique has become her signature since her first collection Undisciplined Tulips, which was prompted by a photograph of her grandmother playing dress-up as a young girl, the hem of her dress featuring a circular floral motif.
“I instantly fell in love with this and wanted to recreate it in my own way, so I started experimenting with different fabrics and shapes until I settled on organza which in its nature, is very sculptural,” Cowan says.
Her floral boleros, for example, are handmade in a process that involves gathering, draping and quilting to create the decorative puffy sleeves. Manipulating fabric on the stand in this way often produces unexpected results.
“I see things in terms of form and silhouette rather than drawing from frock patterning, so each piece is unique every time you drape,” Cowan says.
Her many high-profile fans include Angela Scanlon, Louise McSharry, Charlene McKenna, Danielle Galligan and Nicola Coughlan. Cowan’s dresses and floral boleros, one of which was recently worn to the Met Ball in New York, have graced many magazine covers in the last year, including this magazine in January, when she was selected as one of the five talents set to shine in Irish fashion in 2023.
Her new collection in red, white and black uses the same fabrics and colour palette as before, so that pieces from newer collections can be easily integrated with previous ones. “One of my core beliefs as a brand is to encourage customers to build up what they have rather than constantly throwing out old clothes to buy new,” Cowan explains.
“Some of my pieces are modular, meaning that they can be worn in many ways – so multiple looks can be created in one purchase.”
By its nature, what Cowan makes involves a slow and sustainable practice, and “it has kept me in a nice little slow fashion zone which I find comfortable”, she says, citing Helen Cody’s operation as a business model she admires, with its emphasis on handwork and the personal connection with the customer. A lot of her exuberantly feminine and dreamy creations in tulle, taffeta and organza obviously suit bridal wear, an area she is keen to develop.
All pieces are made to order to prevent waste, and since starting her brand, Cowan has kept all her samples and scrap fabrics, which she uses to create zero-waste products such as hairbands and ties, organza floral boleros and fluttery butterfly blouses.
Cowan also prides herself on the fact that she accepts all size requests on the website, and custom orders with fittings are also on offer for those who want to discuss sizing and fit further.
Most of the pieces are elasticated, with prices starting from €90 for an organic cotton jersey top with bow detail in red/white/black; €600 for a white tulle ballerina skirt; and up to €800 for a long sleeve organza floral bolero with double bow in white/red. See liacowan.com for more information.
Photography: Isabel Farrington. Styling: Lia Cowan. Models: Niamh George, Róisín Dennis, Kinda Otieno and Gabriella Silva.
