In the Studio with The Irish Twin
Inspired by the romance, craft and the signature allure of Parisian style, founder Jill Bauwens invites Liberty to explore her world.
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In the Studio with The Irish Twin
Inspired by the romance, craft and the signature allure of Parisian style, founder Jill Bauwens invites Liberty to explore her world.
Cloistered in a serene flagstone courtyard just moments from Paris’s Grand Palais, the studio and atelier of contemporary womenswear brand, The Irish Twin, seems about as Parisian as it gets.
Wind your way up a twisting staircase with a wrought iron balustrade, and a simple black door opens onto a space of serene calm and curated eclecticism. Dappled light pours through the windows, onto an array of vintage trinkets and modern treasures that perfectly capture founder Jill Bauwens’s signature aesthetic.
Despite a mood that speaks to a contemporary Parisian sensibility – romance and femininity meet bold structure and powerful silhouettes – Bauwens’s inspirations are drawn from a life lived across some of the world’s most notably stylish cities. Born in Antwerp, she spent stints in London and New York, working first as a model, and later as co-creative director of a French womenswear brand alongside Olivier Theyskens.
It was her experiences in the global fashion scene that drew her attention back to Paris, and to the potential of her own brand. From the start, it was intensely personal – not only representing her own sense of style, but named and inspired by her relationship with her sister.
As the brand’s collection makes its debut at Liberty, Bauwens opened the door to her Paris studio, to share a glimpse into her elegant, ever-so-Parisian world.
How would you describe the aesthetic you’ve built at The Irish Twin?
The aesthetic is very Parisian, but always with a modern twist. Everything is built on contrast – on this tension between grace and the more feminine, the fragility, the sensuality, and then the more masculine side.
In the collection, you’ll find very tailored jackets, impeccably tailored trousers, shirts with cufflinks and a crisp collar, and then you have the chiffon muslin dresses with lace details. All of our lace comes from Japan or from Calais in France. The aesthetic appears in the way we choose our fabrics and the way we construct our silhouettes.
The name The Irish Twin is intriguing – where does it originate?
I chose the name The Irish Twin for two different reasons. The first is a personal closeness: my sister and I are born in the same calendar year – we’re eleven months apart, which makes us “Irish twins”.
We’re very different and very similar in a way. There’s a quote from Elizabeth Fischel – she wrote a book called Sisters, about the rivalry and the love sisters can have: “A sister is both your opposite and your mirror”. Which brings me to the second reason I chose the name. The whole principle and foundation of the brand is built on duality – it’s the design engine of the entire process. You can find it in the attitudes, in how we carry the garments, but also in the way we choose our fabrics. You can have a very dark, black leather mixed with a very delicate Japanese lace, or a very crisp poplin meeting a pastel, airy chiffon.
Your sister sounds like a central figure in the brand identity.
I’m extremely close with my sister. We’ve always worked together – we were a creative duo. She’s a big inspiration to the brand. It’s the yin and the yang, really. She lives in LA now, but we’re still very connected. Sometimes we don’t see each other for many, many months, but when I do see her, it’s like she never went away. It’s special. I have two girls now, and I hope they have that same connection. I think it’s so important to be close with your siblings.
Did you always know you wanted to work in fashion – and eventually build your own brand?
Definitely. I’ve always been very curious, and fashion was there from the beginning. When I was living in New York – I moved there at seventeen and stayed for six years – I worked with a lot of very talented people. I modelled at first, which gave me so much insight into the industry: I learned about fabrics, about technique, about the way a fabric behaves, what’s possible and what’s not. I quickly realised I was much happier behind the camera than in front of it. Building the brand took a little longer to crystallise, but I had that entrepreneurial instinct inside me. I knew one day I would do it – I was just waiting for the right moment, and for that gap I really wanted to fill.
Shop The Irish Twin
THE IRISH TWIN
Christi Couture Guipure Lace Jacket
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
THE IRISH TWIN
Janni Pressed Tuberose Silk Mini Dress
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
THE IRISH TWIN
Tildi Pink Chiffon Silk Top
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
THE IRISH TWIN
Jacki Cropped Wool-Linen Jacket
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
THE IRISH TWIN
Christi Deep Black Guipure Lace Mini Dress
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
THE IRISH TWIN
Michi Sand Jacquard Stripes Shirt
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
THE IRISH TWIN
Salli Black Smoke Silk Top
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
THE IRISH TWIN
Tildi Ice Blue Long Dress
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
Free UK Standard Delivery on all orders over £100! Delivered within 3-5 working days. Normally £5.95.
Are there particular women or images that have always inspired you?
I’m very inspired by the people around me – friends and family – and that’s reflected in the collection: each style carries the name of someone close to us, whether that’s someone who inspires us, someone iconic, or my sister, my mother, my best friends. But I’m also very drawn to old and new images – particularly the Northern Renaissance. The Dutch masters: Van Dyck, Rubens, Vermeer. The colours are so rich, and the lighting in those paintings is just incredible. Art Deco interior design is inspiring too – the colours, the geometry, all of it.
You’ve lived in New York, Paris, and now London. How does each city feed into what you do now?
Paris is, maybe it’s a cliché, but for me it’s the most beautiful city in the world. I lived here for ten years. It’s so rich in culture, in history, in fashion – it’s the “ultime”. New York, when you’re young, has this extraordinary energy – anything is possible, whoever you are, wherever you come from. And London, I think, sits somewhere between the two. People here are perhaps a little more creative, a little more eclectic in how they dress. You have that European chicness, but also the edge and the coolness that New York has.
Walk us through your design process – where does a new collection begin?
I always start by thinking about a silhouette – how I see my girl this season. How is her hair? Does she have a ponytail, or is it a glamorous blow-dry? From there, we start looking at fabrics, and for me fabrics are very, very inspiring, because they lead me towards something. Some pieces simply aren’t possible in certain fabrics, so the material dictates the direction. Then we start drawing, we do the pattern making, lots of fittings and prototypes – and then everything goes into production.
Your ready-to-wear collection is called “Hostwear”. Can you explain this?
For me, the host is the happiest version of yourself – when you’re at home and receiving your guests. Hosting is the most generous way of dressing up. It’s like setting a beautiful table; I think it’s a sign of respect that you show towards your guests. And dressing up is the same idea for me. A good host is someone who makes you feel at ease – real ease, not performed ease – someone whose work is invisible, who knows how to withdraw from the evening at some point, from their own night. And I think that’s the same with the garment. The garment holds you, it’s present, but it doesn’t announce you.
Tell us about the craftsmanship behind each piece – you’re very passionate about slow fashion.
Slow fashion for us is a given. Every piece is 100% produced in Paris. I feel that sometimes the atelier sets the tempo more than the market does – and that’s exactly as it should be. The whole design process, from sketching to prototypes to fittings to production, everything is in Paris. It’s important for us to keep control over the whole narrative, and that’s something very precious and dear to us.
What’s the connection you felt between the brand and Liberty?
I feel that Liberty is a house that understands craft. It’s cultivated, it’s very architectural, it’s so beautiful – and it has that London audience that knows exactly what they want and approaches fashion with a real intellectual curiosity. I think Liberty is a natural fit.
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