WEARINGIRISH showcases top designers/brands from Ireland. In this series, meet the designers and hear their stories. Here Margaret chats with Paul Galvin.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND. I am one of a family of seven from Lixnaw, County Kerry. I play a lot of sport especially hurling and Gaelic football. I studied Arts in UCC and taught for almost ten years before authoring and editing my autobiography which was published in 2014. WHAT WAS THE MOST DEFINING MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER? Publishing my first story with Dunnes Stores. It was called Vanguard and told the story of vanguard soldiers at the forefront of military formations. It also reflected those moments as a footballer standing to attention for Amhrán na bhFiann before big matches when I felt like I was at the vanguard of a movement. WHAT’S YOUR AMBITION FOR YOUR BRAND? To bring culture and meaning to menswear, to include more men in the conversation, to educate through storytelling. HOW YOU WOULD DEFINE THE HEART AND SOUL OF YOUR BRAND? Wearable culture, masculinity, and meaning.
WHERE DOES YOUR BRAND NAME COME FROM? My brand name is my own name but each story or collection—Vanguard, Push, Born Mad, Mister, Shelby, Bogman, Raglan, Tattooed Man, Équipe, Scaffolder—could be brands in their own right. WHO IS YOUR DREAM MUSE? WHY? Language is a muse. My Spring 2020 collection is called Scaffolder. It tells the story of Mohed Altrad but the most interesting part for me is the collection name itself. YOUR DREAM COLLABORATION? Art Comes First. Adidas. JW Anderson. Bjarke Ingels. Es Devlin. Annie Mac. Mohed Altrad. Cillian Murphy. Kanye West. Jackie Nickerson. Luke Kelly. Samuel Beckett. WHAT INSPIRES YOU ABOUT THE WEARINGIRISH MOVEMENT? Its positivity and intent to promote and support Irish business and creativity. WHO DO YOU WANT TO WEAR IRISH? Michael Fassbender. TAKE US THROUGH YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS. I regularly run with a pen in my shorts so as to take notes when I stop for a coffee. I observe and absorb my surroundings and think about language. I refer to my dictionary app daily. When the right word comes to me for a collection name, everything else comes together. I read a lot. Raf Simons speaks of incubation time for ideas. This is very important but requires silence and solitude which isn’t easy to come by. HOW DOES A SENSE OF PLACE INFORM YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS— SPECIFICALLY IRELAND? If you are a cultural storyteller, then place is everything. I come from the bogs of north Kerry. I have referenced boglands, bog culture, bog architecture, bog music, turf, peat briquettes, and sleáns in my Bogman collection. I think that says it all about the importance of place in my work. WHAT DOES BEING IRISH MEAN TO YOU AND IN WHAT WAY HAS IT INFLUENCED YOUR CREATIONS? I have been influenced for collections by the National Anthem, Michael & John Walker, Samuel Beckett, Patrick O’Connell, Cillian Murphy, Tom De Paor, Luka Bloom, The Dubliners, James F. O’Connell—all culturally important, masculine and Irish, through and through. Unfortunately, the “fashion” world excludes masculinity in many ways. I’m trying to carve out a place and a brand for men, Irish or otherwise. MOST COVETED ITEM IN YOUR COLLECTION? Flat caps. Then print storytelling pieces; peat briquette print shirts, Luke banjo print shirt, Dancing Man print shirt. THREE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT? My wife, daughter and family. YOUR GO-TO STYLING TRICK? Good proportions. TELL US ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT I DIDN’T ASK. I speak fluent Irish.