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Well, of course we had to invite Sinead McKeefry back to style our AW collection, as someone that has done so much to champion heritage dressing. We have long admired her modern take, embracing chunky knitwear, tweed and plaid, and, of course, our cashmere wristwarmers in her styling.
“Sinead and I are similarly rooted: she spent much of her childhood in Ireland, while I grew up in Cumbria. We’re both used to the rain and the wool. Coming together to shoot an edit for Brora felt incredibly instinctive. We moved in sync throughout the day, with Sinead styling our model to perfection and me choosing backdrops and positions to create the ideal image. I hope you feel equally inspired by the Sinead McKeefry Edit.”
Victoria Stapleton, Founder & Creative Director
Growing up, Sinead spent a lot of time in Donegal, visiting her Irish family. “I thought my older cousins were the coolest thing ever because they walked around in battered-up Levi’s, tweed jackets that had been handed down with arm patches on them, and great Aran knits,” she says. “I’ve always been so into that type of dressing. I like being outdoors, I love good, big stompy boots — all of that was second nature to me.”
Sinead initially studied textile design at Buckinghamshire College, where her talent quickly stood out. This earned her a place and a bursary at the prestigious Central Saint Martins, where she studied under the tutelage of the legendary Louise Wilson, former Head of the MA Fashion Design course. Sinead admits that Louise “scared the living daylights out of me. I was quite taken aback by her tough-love way of teaching, but she highlighted the importance of research”.
She went on to assist Charlotte Stockdale, gaining invaluable exposure to the industry and the opportunity to work on shoots with Mario Testino and Vogue, as well as styling ’90s girl bands such as All Saints. Although she worked for free, she enjoyed the perks, including free tickets to shows and performances. Looking back, she recalls: “It was a really brilliant, crazy time.”
One thing is for sure: Sinead knows how to follow a brief and has real range, while always injecting her own references into her work. She soon began styling some of Britain’s best-known prime-time TV presenters, including Fearne Cotton, Stacey Dooley and, of course, Claudia Winkleman.
Today, she is renowned for her distinctive styling. “I love heritage and I’m really classic at heart, but then I like just to give something a bit of a twist.” And that is exactly what her edit with Brora highlights. Her styling mixes Harris Tweed checks with striped accessories; she picks out and plays with colours from our Fair Isle knitwear, balancing femininity with workwear-style boots.
“For this edit, I wanted to be a little playful with colours. I think tonal layering looks so incredibly chic, and of course I wanted to use all of Brora’s accessories — the hooded snoods and, of course, the cashmere wristwarmers! I love combining Fair Isle and plaid, mixing checks, and pairing femininity with more androgynous styles.”
Sinead McKeefry, Stylist