Paul Costelloe, the enduring presence of a master

I am travelling through Italy when countless messages begin to arrive on my phone, all carrying the same news: the passing of Paul Costelloe. Between trains, piazzas and the shifting light of the Italian autumn, the announcement reaches me with a quiet weight, the same quiet elegance that defined so much of his work. I write these lines with sadness, but also with a deep sense of peace. Paul left surrounded by his wife and seven children, and it is they who will now preserve the creative identity and the legacy that he built so brilliantly within British and Irish fashion.

Paul died in London at the age of eighty, after a short illness. His absence opens a delicate space within London Fashion Week, where he stood as one of the most enduring and loyal figures for more than four decades. Costelloe was not only a veteran designer, he was a foundation. His discipline, his craftsmanship and his artistic sensibility shaped generations of creators and journalists, becoming a pillar of Irish design on the international stage.

Born in Dublin, raised among textiles in his father’s raincoat company, trained in Dublin and later in Paris, Costelloe forged a path that led him to dress Princess Diana and elevate Irish fashion to global recognition. His collections were known for their refined balance of tradition and lightness, for the thoughtful use of Irish linen and tweed, and for the ability to translate heritage into contemporary silhouettes.

For me, this news carries an intimate echo. Long before fashion school, when I was still a young girl, I used to paste into my notebooks from Estado de Minas the images of the pieces he created for Princess Diana. Paul was one of the first designers who showed me that fashion could be storytelling, memory, architecture and emotion. Later, during my studies, I researched his career with even greater admiration, discovering the depth behind each creation.

Years later, life took me far beyond those early impressions. I had the honour of wearing many of his designs. I walked in shows wearing Paul Costelloe, felt the balance of strength and softness that was so characteristic of his hand, and I understood the humanity present in every detail. And in a gesture I will always cherish, Paul was the first major designer to offer me a front row seat at London Fashion Week. A kindness that remains one of the defining memories of my professional life.

Today, the fashion world does not simply mourn. It reflects. It celebrates. It acknowledges a master whose influence will continue to shape the way we understand elegance and heritage. The Costelloe family, his dedicated team and an entire generation touched by his work carry forward the narrative he began.

Paul’s legacy is not a farewell. It is a continuation. It lives in the garments he crafted, in the archives preserved around the world, in the memories of those who admired him, and in the new designers who grew up inspired by his vision.

Thank you, Paul, for the generosity, the craft, the imagination and the history. Fashion does not say goodbye to you. It simply moves forward with a little more of your light.