Arlene Hopkins (28), a final-year National College of Art & Design (NCAD) fashion student from Virginia, Co Cavan, has won this year's Persil Irish Fashion Award, worth €10,000.
Her outfit, a cotton ticking skirt and pin-tucked cotton voile blouse in black, cream and gold, was inspired by the vertical and horizontal lines of men's neckties and cravats.
For the first time in the competition - now in its eighth year - the winning outfit will be manufactured and sold by Dunnes Stores in an innovative step for the Irish retail chain.
The announcement was made last night on RTÉ's Late Late Show after the eight finalists, all final-year students from NCAD, Limerick School of Art & Design and the Grafton Academy, presented their designs.
The brief was to design "a machine-washable seasonal spring/summer outfit" and the judging panel included fashion designers Paul Costelloe and Joanne Hynes along with Dermot Colgan, head of design at Dunnes Stores.
The outfits of all the finalists will be displayed in Dunnes Stores windows nationwide, starting with Grafton Street today.
"The winning outfit was incredibly well assembled technically, the pattern cutting was superb and it was incredibly sophisticated for such a young girl," said Paul Costelloe.
