Pauric Sweeney

Pauric Sweeney was born in County Donegal in Ireland. While at school in Dublin he met Irish designer Paul Costelloe and was initially interested in a fashion career. However he took a rather roundabout way to reach there.

He moved to the United States and studied architecture at the Temple University in Philadelphia. He then went to Japan for a trip and back to Dublin. He started designing jewellery there.

Finally he reached London around 1998 and decided on fashion, opening a retail outlet called Root in Brick Lane, East London. His first collection of clothes, called "Wish U Were Gothic" was launched at the Louvre in Paris (of all places) in September 2000.

He made his debut in London Fashion Week in September 2001 and never looked back.

In March 2004, he sent shock-waves through London by having a naked model cover herself with his handbag on the Sun newspaper's page 3. He continued throughout the week with similar models suitably attired with his accessories, and nothing else. It was a mighty publicity stunt for the designer.

Pauric's collection for Autumn/Winter 2004 was called "Voodoo" and included sculptural tuxedos, shredded asymmetric tops, and sexy jersey dresses.

He has used unusual names for his collections, such as "Time for Bed", and "She's Gonna be a Goth Star" and his clientele has also been well-known including Madonna who wore one of his brocade jackets and ordered several velour tracksuits.

In addition to the Louvre, he has also shown one of his collections at London's Royal Opera House. Pauric has been awarded New Generation Sponsorship for the last few seasons.

Pauric Sweeney Bags, was launched in 2005. In the summer of that year the designer moved his atelier to Florence, Italy, to work closely with prestigious Italian tanneries and master craftsmen.

Pauric Sweeney is widely considered the best emerging designer in his field.

The designer has been courted by luxury fashion companies including Givenchy, Loewe, and Christian Lacroix. His handbags are available in the United States through LuxCouture.

The London Business School commissioned and published a case study on the brand.