Designer Joanne Hynes on her move to the high street
Special. Everyone wants a bit of it in their lives.
At once addictive and nourishing, the feeling of having and holding something unique is what, as humans, we all crave. Without it, there’d be no magic, no fairy dust; no object of affection - nothing special.
This feeling holds particular sway for followers of fashion. In an industry polarised by mass market and rarefied luxury, the instances of finding something individual yet accessible can feel like a dystopian quest, leading one to give up before having even started. That is, until now.
When designer Joanne Hynes joined forces last month to launch her debut collection for Dunnes Stores, fans and pundits knew to call off the search. This was more than a collaboration – it was a veritable coup.
Since graduating 15 years ago from Central Saint Martins MA and establishing her eponymous label in 2003, the Tuam native has created an immediately identifiable signature with her rebellious ready-to-wear and accessories lines.
Averse to definition, she channels her semantic irreverence with crystal-cut intuition – a seer-like vision of what women want. Moreover, she does this without bowing to the demigods of demographics, winning a democracy of age-inappropriate fans in the process. Sounds like hyperbole? Hardly. Let me set the scene.
I’m sitting across from Hynes as she oversees an e-commerce photoshoot for the October story of her winter 2016 collection for the Irish retailer.
As we chat, she feeds her three-week-old son Faolán (Irish for ‘little wolf’) who is one of a brood of four – all under the age of four.
Having taken one week off to have her baby, she spent the ensuing fortnight launching her Joanne Hynes at Dunnes Stores line (which almost sold out in 48 hours) and working on her spring 2017 line.
I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
“It is brilliant because he’s at that age and I can hold him while I’m designing,” she says as her little wolf sleeps in her arms.
“A lot of design is about dialogue anyway and I find with design you are not just sitting there drawing dresses. A lot of it is about the cloth, thinking about how it works.”
It’s this realness combined with a considered craft-driven ethos that has made her partnership with Dunnes Stores such a strong commodity.
But after years at the helm of high fashion with an already formidable fan base (Daphne Guinness, Paloma Faith and Amy Huberman to name a few), I can’t help but ask why the high street? Why now?
“That’s where things are exciting. That’s where things are possible,” she explains.
No stranger to collaborations (previous ones include Pretty Polly hosiery and Joanne Hynes for Topshop), Hynes credits her relationship with Dunnes Stores, and the trust of chief executive Margaret Heffernan, as an unusual advantage in a retail environment, especially when it comes to creative freedom.
“I think, as well, it’s down to the fact that she knows my work,” she adds, “she loves fashion; she follows fashion. I think that’s why the collection is with Dunnes because they are so receptive to that.”
The collection, fully comprehensive from coats down to socks and hosiery, encapsulates all of the little nuances of the Joanne Hynes woman.
The result? A ‘greatest hits’ anthology of the designer’s signature motifs (crystal collars, Perspex embellishment, abstract Tiger Lady appliqués) combined with a proclivity to deliver an element of the unexpected.
What’s more, the customer goodwill and appetite for her studded sleeve parkas, reversible shearling coats, neoprene dresses and velvet bomber jackets (amongst other goodies) has been phenomenal.
“I think genuinely people appreciate it. They feel that they’re winning because it is customer-centric, quality-centric and design-centric. The design is really important for me,” she stresses. Really important.”
This has hit the sweet spot for many of her fans. Notwithstanding the fact, that as a working mother who wears her own collection, Hynes knows what’ll work without losing that element of fun.
Washable fabrics and stretch fabrics all make the grade; but so do audacious pompom coats, metallic jacquard knit skirts, stretch sparkle tops and offbeat Lurex tights. So, just how does she manage to skillfully navigate this fine line between frivolity and function?
“For me, and actually with everything,” she admits, “it’s all in my gut – all of my design. I have to feel it – it’s not my head; it’s more my instinct.”
It’s this GPS that has steered denizens of Irish women into a braver lane, shifting perspective gears and looking at unusual pieces with everyday eyes. When Hynes sets the style agenda, women take the minutes.
“I’m always thinking about communicating how to wear pieces. Like the pompom skirt. Yes, it’s a skirt with pompoms but it’s so wearable!” she laughs.
“With me, if I was feeding Faolán. I might do it with a denim shirt that I have in my wardrobe or I might wear it with a sweater – it depends on where I’m going but it’s taking that anxiety out of it. It’s just a great skirt with pompoms. That’s what it’s about. That’s fashion.”
The reversible muddy pink shearling coat – a talking point (and sell-out success) for September evolves for October into a more patrician patchwork cousin.
Limited edition and not to be repeated, once these fellas are gone – they’re gone. Hynes admits herself that she’s putting one away herself for archival purposes.
“The customers even bought the samples. I’m left with nothing!” she says jokingly.
Might this be the elusive alchemy - serious design that doesn’t take itself too seriously?
On that note, she changes for our cover shoot and opts for a fit and flare sculpted midi dress with a metallic belt from the new collection. It sums up my ‘fine line’ theory perfectly – polished yet playful or as Hynes likes to call it ‘ladylike with a bit of mischief’.
“I love it, just love it; it’s fitted with a great bell sleeve and is made of really heavy jersey. I call it ‘the bondage cloth’. The lines on it are incredible and what it does for the body is just amazing.”
I agree but I’ve only got eyes for a feather-skirted guna with a coquettish waistline cut-out I spot on a studio mannequin. She’s a beauty.
And there’s more where that came from. For spring 2017, expect the same coltish mood, killer quality and limited edition numbers as winter but with a couple of good hooks and little talking points that make it all fun.
That’s all she’s giving away (trust me, I tried) but know this – when you walk into a room wearing Joanne Hynes, that’s when the fun really begins.
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