diff --git a/src/components/views/elements/Flair.js b/src/components/views/elements/Flair.js
index 4a34dac0de..25a8d538e1 100644
--- a/src/components/views/elements/Flair.js
+++ b/src/components/views/elements/Flair.js
@@ -72,24 +72,19 @@ export default class Flair extends React.Component {
         this.state = {
             profiles: [],
         };
-        this.onRoomStateEvents = this.onRoomStateEvents.bind(this);
     }
 
     componentWillUnmount() {
         this._unmounted = true;
-        this.context.matrixClient.removeListener('RoomState.events', this.onRoomStateEvents);
     }
 
     componentWillMount() {
         this._unmounted = false;
-        this._generateAvatars();
-        this.context.matrixClient.on('RoomState.events', this.onRoomStateEvents);
+        this._generateAvatars(this.props.groups);
     }
 
-    onRoomStateEvents(event) {
-        if (event.getType() === 'm.room.related_groups' && FlairStore.groupSupport()) {
-            this._generateAvatars();
-        }
+    componentWillReceiveProps(newProps) {
+        this._generateAvatars(newProps.groups);
     }
 
     async _getGroupProfiles(groups) {
@@ -106,23 +101,7 @@ export default class Flair extends React.Component {
         return profiles.filter((p) => p !== null);
     }
 
-    async _generateAvatars() {
-        let groups = await FlairStore.getPublicisedGroupsCached(this.context.matrixClient, this.props.userId);
-        if (this.props.roomId && this.props.showRelated) {
-            const relatedGroupsEvent = this.context.matrixClient
-                .getRoom(this.props.roomId)
-                .currentState
-                .getStateEvents('m.room.related_groups', '');
-            const relatedGroups = relatedGroupsEvent ?
-                relatedGroupsEvent.getContent().groups || [] : [];
-            if (relatedGroups && relatedGroups.length > 0) {
-                groups = groups.filter((groupId) => {
-                    return relatedGroups.includes(groupId);
-                });
-            } else {
-                groups = [];
-            }
-        }
+    async _generateAvatars(groups) {
         if (!groups || groups.length === 0) {
             return;
         }
@@ -148,13 +127,7 @@ export default class Flair extends React.Component {
 }
 
 Flair.propTypes = {
-    userId: PropTypes.string,
-
-    // Whether to show only the flair associated with related groups of the given room,
-    // or all flair associated with a user.
-    showRelated: PropTypes.bool,
-    // The room that this flair will be displayed in. Optional. Only applies when showRelated = true.
-    roomId: PropTypes.string,
+    groups: PropTypes.arrayOf(PropTypes.string),
 };
 
 // TODO: We've decided that all components should follow this pattern, which means removing withMatrixClient and using
diff --git a/src/components/views/messages/SenderProfile.js b/src/components/views/messages/SenderProfile.js
index 28064070cb..5ca2fc6ed8 100644
--- a/src/components/views/messages/SenderProfile.js
+++ b/src/components/views/messages/SenderProfile.js
@@ -17,50 +17,128 @@
 'use strict';
 
 import React from 'react';
+import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
+import {MatrixClient} from 'matrix-js-sdk';
 import sdk from '../../../index';
 import Flair from '../elements/Flair.js';
+import FlairStore from '../../../stores/FlairStore';
 import { _t } from '../../../languageHandler';
 
-export default function SenderProfile(props) {
-    const EmojiText = sdk.getComponent('elements.EmojiText');
-    const {mxEvent} = props;
-    const name = mxEvent.sender ? mxEvent.sender.name : mxEvent.getSender();
-    const {msgtype} = mxEvent.getContent();
+export default React.createClass({
+    displayName: 'SenderProfile',
+    propTypes: {
+        mxEvent: PropTypes.object.isRequired, // event whose sender we're showing
+        text: PropTypes.string, // Text to show. Defaults to sender name
+        onClick: PropTypes.func,
+    },
 
-    if (msgtype === 'm.emote') {
-        return <span />; // emote message must include the name so don't duplicate it
-    }
+    contextTypes: {
+        matrixClient: PropTypes.instanceOf(MatrixClient),
+    },
 
-    const nameElem = <EmojiText key='name'>{ name || '' }</EmojiText>;
+    getInitialState() {
+        return {
+            userGroups: null,
+            relatedGroups: [],
+        };
+    },
 
-    // Name + flair
-    const nameFlair = <span>
-        <span className="mx_SenderProfile_name">
-            { nameElem }
-        </span>
-        { props.enableFlair ?
-            <Flair key='flair'
-                userId={mxEvent.getSender()}
-                roomId={mxEvent.getRoomId()}
-                showRelated={true} />
-            : null
+    componentWillMount() {
+        this.unmounted = false;
+        this._updateRelatedGroups();
+
+        FlairStore.getPublicisedGroupsCached(
+            this.context.matrixClient, this.props.mxEvent.getSender(),
+        ).then((userGroups) => {
+            if (this.unmounted) return;
+            this.setState({userGroups});
+        });
+
+        this.context.matrixClient.on('RoomState.events', this.onRoomStateEvents);
+    },
+
+    componentWillUnmount() {
+        this.unmounted = true;
+        this.context.matrixClient.removeListener('RoomState.events', this.onRoomStateEvents);
+    },
+
+    onRoomStateEvents(event) {
+        if (event.getType() === 'm.room.related_groups' &&
+            event.getRoomId() === this.props.mxEvent.getRoomId()
+        ) {
+            this._updateRelatedGroups();
         }
-    </span>;
+    },
 
-    const content = props.text ?
-        <span className="mx_SenderProfile_aux">
-            { _t(props.text, { senderName: () => nameElem }) }
-        </span> : nameFlair;
+    _updateRelatedGroups() {
+        if (this.unmounted) return;
+        const relatedGroupsEvent = this.context.matrixClient
+            .getRoom(this.props.mxEvent.getRoomId())
+            .currentState
+            .getStateEvents('m.room.related_groups', '');
+        this.setState({
+            relatedGroups: relatedGroupsEvent ?
+                relatedGroupsEvent.getContent().groups || []
+                : [],
+        });
+    },
 
-    return (
-        <div className="mx_SenderProfile" dir="auto" onClick={props.onClick}>
-            { content }
-        </div>
-    );
-}
+    _getDisplayedGroups(userGroups, relatedGroups) {
+        let displayedGroups = userGroups || [];
+        if (relatedGroups && relatedGroups.length > 0) {
+            displayedGroups = displayedGroups.filter((groupId) => {
+                return relatedGroups.includes(groupId);
+            });
+        } else {
+            displayedGroups = [];
+        }
+        return displayedGroups;
+    },
 
-SenderProfile.propTypes = {
-    mxEvent: React.PropTypes.object.isRequired, // event whose sender we're showing
-    text: React.PropTypes.string, // Text to show. Defaults to sender name
-    onClick: React.PropTypes.func,
-};
+    render() {
+        const EmojiText = sdk.getComponent('elements.EmojiText');
+        const {mxEvent} = this.props;
+        let name = mxEvent.sender ? mxEvent.sender.name : mxEvent.getSender();
+        const {msgtype} = mxEvent.getContent();
+
+        if (msgtype === 'm.emote') {
+            return <span />; // emote message must include the name so don't duplicate it
+        }
+
+        let flair = <div />;
+        if (this.props.enableFlair) {
+            const displayedGroups = this._getDisplayedGroups(
+                this.state.userGroups, this.state.relatedGroups,
+            );
+
+            // Backwards-compatible replacing of "(IRC)" with AS user flair
+            name = displayedGroups.length > 0 ? name.replace(' (IRC)', '') : name;
+
+            flair = <Flair key='flair'
+                userId={mxEvent.getSender()}
+                groups={displayedGroups}
+            />;
+        }
+
+        const nameElem = <EmojiText key='name'>{ name || '' }</EmojiText>;
+
+        // Name + flair
+        const nameFlair = <span>
+            <span className="mx_SenderProfile_name">
+                { nameElem }
+            </span>
+            { flair }
+        </span>;
+
+        const content = this.props.text ?
+            <span className="mx_SenderProfile_aux">
+                { _t(this.props.text, { senderName: () => nameElem }) }
+            </span> : nameFlair;
+
+        return (
+            <div className="mx_SenderProfile" dir="auto" onClick={this.props.onClick}>
+                { content }
+            </div>
+        );
+    },
+});