About Me

Iryna

I was born in the picturesque tourist town of Lviv in Western Ukraine and trained as Pattern Cutter and Designer in the Ukraine and at Ravensbourne College of Design in London, where I gained my BA. And I have over 30 years experience in design, dressmaking and pattern cutting, most of which gained with premier London fashion labels that include Alice Temperley, Seraphine, Finery London and numerous freelance clients. I founded “Oxford Bespoke Gowns” (also known as Paragon PPS ) in 2009 to give me the flexibility to accommodate family commitments, but this also gave me the opportunity to undertake a greater variety of work. Although designing and developing beautiful garments is a way of life, I am passionate about developing young talent. To this end I co-ordinated the Temperley graduate intern programme and served as industry representative for London College of Fashion. Additionally, I was visiting lecturer at Uxbridge College and Kingston University where I ran workshops on dressmaking, finishings and pattern development. I have also written and delivered Intensive Pattern Cutting courses for several private clients. I have travelled extensively, and my appreciation of different cultures has influenced many of the designs I have developed, in addition to facilitating my fluency in English, Ukrainian, Polish and Russian.

Follow me