Check out a collection of Sharon Wauchob's clothes in our gallery here.
Irish designer Sharon Wauchob looks set to join the glittering ranks of the big guns of Paris fashion such as Christian Dior, Balenciaga and Jean Paul Gaultier. Her recent collections at Paris Fashion Week have brought praise from international fashion editors and buyers alike, giving the designer cult status within the fashion industry. But the glamour of Paris is a far cry from Sharon's roots growing up on a livestock farm in Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone.
Since launching her own label in France in 1998, Sharon has been unstoppable. In 2003, she was elected to the Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter, the fashion industry's Holy Grail, becoming the first independent Irish designer in the federation. The move makes her one of only five young independents on the list, which controls the catwalk schedules, and puts her on an equal footing with high-profile fashion houses such as Dior and Chanel.
Sharon studied in the world-renowned Central St Martins in London - the same college that counts design heavyweights such as Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Alice Temperley among its graduates. Upon completion of her studies, Wauchob worked with designer Koji Tatsuno for four years, later moving to Paris to work with Louis Vuitton as a consultant.
Three years later, she launched her own label under her own name specializing in 'alternative' fashion. Known for her innovative looks and masterful execution, Sharon Wauchob has a loyal following among the fashion flock looking for something different. Her deceptively sweet pleated, folded and twisted pieces continually receive praise from international fashion editors and buyers and have brought the designer cult status within the industry. Today Sharon Wauchob is one of Ireland's most successful exports and has taken the international fashion world by storm.
"I like my clothes to have a timeless quality to them and they should last, they're not 'trend' pieces that will go out of style after one season," she says. She maintains that her designs draw on her Irish experience and, particularly Irish women. "The Irish woman has a very different femininity. She has a powerful inner strength which I try to capture in my designs. I try to juxtapose strength and femininity in my work."
While she lives for the most part in Paris, Wauchob travels home regularly and she still considers her label very much Irish. "I like to go back to Ireland a lot," she says. "My family has been there for two hundred years - in the same house, actually."
Sharon also finds the Irish landscape and culture a constant source of inspiration for her as a designer. "Where I come from, the light is flat, so your eye becomes accustomed to very subtle tones. At the beginning of my career, working with contrast was difficult, but I've tackled what I was scared of in terms of colours. Now I'm quite comfortable using both subtle and intense shades."
Today, the Sharon Wauchob label has a strong international presence with over 100 stores in 23 countries worldwide, including LEclaireur in Paris and Tokyo, Lane Crawford in Hong Kong and Shanghai and Henri Bendel in New York. Her clothes have been featured in all of the top glossy magazines from Vogue to Elle and the designer is due to launch her own perfume shortly.
Sharon Wauchob is available from Havana, Donnybrook D4. Tel: (01) 260 2707
