Lia Cowan from Rathgar, Dublin has been announced as the inaugural Longines Irish Champions Weekend Young Designer of the Year.

Longines Irish Champions Weekend is synonymous with style, and this year to celebrate Irish fashion, budding designers were asked to submit a design that portrays ‘Contemporary Race Day Elegance’. Lia’s design was selected from three finalists by a judging panel, including stylist Courtney Smith, and was awarded a prize value of €10,000 at last weekend’s Longines Irish Champions Weekend at the Curragh.

Influenced by her background as a sculptor, Lia’s striking design included an asymmetrical floral top and tiered skirt in tones of orange and pink. She commented on her design, “I wanted to get the balance of ‘contemporary’ and ‘elegance’ just right. I decided to mix together sculptural elements, with a luxurious, vibrant yet feminine silhouette.”

Other designers that made it to the final round were Belfast student Aoife Harvey, who created an ultra-contemporary suit from deadstock fabrics and Aisling Kavanagh, from Dublin, who created a sweet dress inspired by her grandmother’s embroidered tablecloth.

Aileen Goatley, Marketing Manager of Horse Racing Ireland commented:

“Sport, fashion and entertainment are at the heart of Longines Irish Champions Weekend and we are so delighted to support young Irish designers and offer them a chance to showcase their work across what was a very successful race weekend.

We know there is so much talent in Ireland and we were blown over by the designs submitted for the first Longines Irish Champions Weekend Young Designer Award. We’re looking forward to running this award in the years to come as part of the festival”. 

Longines Irish Champions Weekend is synonymous with style, and this year to celebrate Irish fashion, budding designers were asked to submit a design that portrays ‘Contemporary Race Day Elegance’. Lia’s designed was selected from three finalists by a judging panel, including stylist Courtney Smith, and was awarded a prize value of €10,000 at last weekend’s Longines Irish Champions Weekend at the Curragh.