Page 28 - Our Wexford

RICHARD MALONE – Fashion Designer

Richard Malone graduated and Paris Fashion weeks. According
from Central Saint Martins in to Vogue magazine “Richard’s
2014, where he was awarded the designs are likely to be on every
prestigious Louis Vuitton Grand fashion editor’s wish list come fall.”
Prix Scholarship.
The designer says that growing up
From drawing and image-making in Wexford, he was always inspired
to film and performance, Richard by people. “I was always, always
Malone’s sources exist outside of the drawing. I still am. I’m obsessed
fashion world, resulting in his own with people, always observing
unique fashion language. Based in and sketching. It really informs
London but producing in Ireland my designs; I don’t see how you
is vital to Malone’s DNA. His can design without considering
hometown of Wexford seems an people. We have this box that my
unlikely inspiration for his extreme late grandmother, Chrissie, kept
tailoring but his environment is key and it’s all of these paintings and
to his unique direction. He draws Saint Martins was sourced entirely observations from when I was
upon visual references like school from end of roll and unwanted about two until about eight, very
uniforms, work wear, hand-me- fabrics and he aims to continue to informative and quite funny, it
ABOVE: downs and religious dress, which avoid mass production and waste shows I haven’t changed much.
Spring Summer wherever possible, and refuses to
2017 collection by he merges together to form a No-one ever discouraged it either,
Richard Malone ‘typical’ Irish identity. Inspired by compromise on production in which is helpful, I know in school
the ordinary and the lack of vanity favour of fast fashion. sometimes they would try to push
RIGHT:
Richard Malone in daily dressing, he reinterprets His star is rising fast; he has me to a safer career option, because
this in his use of patchwork and exhibited at the National Textile I was good at Maths and English,
embroidery. He mixes skills Museum of Wales, he has been but it made no sense to me. I think
associated with old age couture, selected by the BBC as one of it’s so important to embrace what
and materiality associated with the most creative up and coming you’re passionate about, and it
the working classes. Sustainability talents to watch as part of their needs to be really encouraged in
underlies each design. His BA Young Artists Day initiative and has our schools.”
graduate collection from Central presented his collections at London

28 OUR WEXFORD