O’Dwyer has long been known for her radically inclusive approach to body diversity and her rejection of conventional fashion sizing. Graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2018, her debut collections focused on intimate wear and structured garments designed to accommodate a wide range of body types. Her silicone-cast pieces, molded from real bodies rather than standardized mannequins, challenged industry norms and distinguished her in the oversaturated space of small designers. Inclusive representation has remained a core tenet of her work, even as the fashion industry seems to be stepping away from its prior commitments to inclusivity.

The AW25 show featured classic tailored pieces, leatherwork, squiggle knit, and her signature criss-cross halter tops crafted from deadstock nylon, as well as reiterations of the look in organza silk. Her bubble-hem skirts came in both long pencil and mini versions, featuring layered suspenders. A standout look was a short red trench coat, which featured curved back detailing.

The footwear for this collection was created in collaboration with Japanese shoewear brand Grounds. Their bubble-soled sneakers were fused with a squiggle-knit sock, incorporating front lacing as a nod to traditional Irish dancing shoes.

With the fashion industry regressing on body diversity, O’Dwyer remains one of the few designers sticking to truly inclusive casting. This season’s cast featured a model in a wheelchair, along with others with mobility impairments, and plus-size models. However, the styling choices for these diverse bodies leaned heavily on leather micro-skirts, leotards, and revealing silhouettes. At times, these looks felt ill-fitted and leaned towards sexualizing rather than empowering.

This phenomenon is neither new nor exclusive to Sinéad O’Dwyer, but raises the question on how plus-size women are portrayed on the runway. In a post-body-diversity-push fashion industry, which we experienced at the beginning of the decade, the representation of fuller figures being almost solely in the context of hyper-sexualization, feels like merely a different form of marginalization.

Even designers who champion body inclusivity must consider the ways in which their casting and styling choices reinforce certain stereotypes rather than dismantling them. While O’Dwyer still presents a wide range of bodies in different styling choices, it feels as though the biggest models were put in the skimpiest clothes. There is space to present these bodies in ways that do not default to overt sexuality, and the industry as a whole would benefit from more varied and thoughtful representations of plus-size figures.

Despite these philosophical questions, O’Dwyer’s AW25 collection reaffirms her technical skill. The precise tailoring in shirts, trench coats, and blazers, alongside the delicate layering of organza and intricate leatherwork, demonstrate her continued growth as a designer.

More than just a retrospective of her past work, Character Studies feels like a conclusion, transitioning her from a promising young designer into an established force within the London fashion landscape. As her time under NEWGEN comes to an end, the question now is not whether she will succeed, but how she will continue to challenge and expand the industry’s perceptions of beauty, body, and identity.