How to wear denim and a chat with Irish design rising star Andrew Bell: this week on Smart Casual

Smart Casual is IMAGE’s first fashion podcast, in collaboration with Kildare Village. In our bi-weekly chats, we examine why we wear the clothes we do and deal with personal style in a way that speaks to you. 

Jeans, jackets, jumpsuits or anything else that takes your fancy — denim is the ultimate in versatile fabrics. The everyday staple can be moulded from casual wear to a formal statement, and is a staple in any modern woman’s wardrobe. But why, then, is it such a contentious fabric for so many women? We love denim, yet we’re constantly battling with it to find the form that suits us best.

The world of denim is the subject of episode 11 of Smart Casual, where Dominique, Marie and Édaein discuss their long and often fraught relationship with the fabric. From Dominique’s decade-long love affair with black skinnies, to Marie’s first pair of designer jeans, to Édaein’s memories of teenage jeggings and Levi’s jackets, there is a lot to talk about when it comes to perfecting the art of denim.

Our guest on the show this week is one of the most exciting young fashion designers to come out of Ireland in recent years. Andrew Bell graduated from NCAD in Dublin in 2014, before embarking on a two-year Masters programme at the Royal College of Art, London. Andrew was the second ever recipient of the Kildare Village Fashion Scholarship, which awarded him with the fees needed to complete his degree in London. There, his talent and eye for sharp and unique womenswear designs marked him as a ‘one to watch’ for the college, as well as here in Ireland. On Smart Casual, Marie chats to Andrew about his influences as a designer, the major names he meets day to day in attending the RCA, and his plans for the future (after his graduate show this year, of course).

Episode 11 of Smart Casual, in collaboration with Kildare Village, is available now on SoundCloud and iTunes – make sure to like, subscribe and rate us wherever you enjoy your podcasts. Smart Casual is hosted by Dominique McMullan, Marie Kelly and Édaein O’Connell, and produced by Erin Lindsay. If you can’t wait to download, have a listen to the new episode below: