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HEMLINES TWIN TRACK Over the course of several mo
nths, Cadhla and Sadhbh O’Reilly have clocked up modelling kudos from the industry’s finest; all whilst studying for the Leaving Cert. In their debut interview, they chat creative synergy and the industry-wide crush on dynamic duos. words Amelia O’Mahony-Brady One Instagram pic can kickstart an entire career. It’s not a commonly cited saying, nor is it especially snappy but, in the case of Cadhla and Sadhbh, the shoe certainly fits. Last November, modelling newcomer Mia Sweeney - a freshly-signed addition to NotAnother – casually posted a snap of the twins. Her agency’s managing director, Aislinn Lawlor, stumbled upon the photo and was instantly stopped in her tracks. “We knew straight away the girls were special,” she recalls, “as individually, they had such unique looks. The fact they were twins was a total bonus!” Without missing a beat, she reached out to suss their interest in modelling, much to their excitement. “Of course, we said yes, we’re interested! Growing up, we were obsessed with America’s Next Top Model” – a familiar TV diet to most style-enthused Millennials/Generation Z’ers – “and our sister, who’s just turned 20, does modelling in Ireland and internationally. When she started working, that was a real moment for us in thinking, maybe we could try this as well.” By the end of their first agency meeting, Lawlor – alongside the rest of NotAnother – was smitten. “Right from the start, we could see they had ‘it’. We just wanted to ensure that, considering their massive potential, they did the right work, and worked with the right people. All new models are different: for some, you’re going to have to develop them in the background for a while before exposing them [to the fashion sector], while with others you just need to go for it – throw them straight into the deep end.” It’s crystal clear that the twins skipped into the second category. Barely a month after that fateful Instagram spotting, they were modelling cream-of-the-crop Irish Design in Fí, a fashion film captured by Perry Ogden and creativelydirected by Paula Hughes, in collaboration with Showcase 2019. Scanning through stills from the project, it’s hard to fathom that Cadhla and Sadhbh hadn’t done a single shoot before filming on set. Confidently staring down the camera lens in polychromatic Katie Hanlan and snow-white Alison Connelly, their on-screen presence was unshakably poised. “We were actually nervous, for the reason that we’d never done anything like this before – not even test shots – it was literally our first time in front of a camera. So that was terrifying! But Perry and the team were such nice people, and that 20 soothed our nerves. It was a really great shoot to start with.” Life-changing career moments aside, the girls never strayed too far from a textbook – their scouting took place several months into sixth year, so they began combining study sessions with diverse shoots. Fí made its debut screening mere weeks before the start of mock exams, while subsequent term-time highlights saw the twins work with Eilish McCormick and Kieran Kilgallon as well as receive enthused offers from London agencies; all whilst keeping their profiles off the NotAnother website, to quietly build up their books. It was during this time that Cleo Prickett (who features in full on the previous page) encountered the twins on Instagram, earmarking their shots for future reference. “Rosie [Barrett] and Albert [Hooi] later approached me about doing a film for my newest collection,” Prickett recounts, “which I was really keen to experiment with. Rosie had this idea about using two models, and I immediately remembered the twins. Suddenly the timing [to work with them] was perfect.” Stationing Cadhla and Sadhbh in a Brutalist gem of a setting – I’m sworn to secrecy on the exact location – their every movement was seamlessly