Standing in the doorway of the Fumbally Cafe in Dublin, Richard Malone cuts a distinctive figure dressed in a bright red shirt, multicoloured runners and printed silk Lanvin trousers, his blonde hair tossed casually to one side. The 24-year-old from Ardcavan in
Wexford
, who has just graduated with a BA fashion degree from Central St Martins (CSM) in London, has earned more accolades for his work than many other BA students in recent years.
Based on Irish youths after the recession, his collection opened the press show in May on grumpy-looking models against a remix of rapper Izzy Azalea's hit Fancy, earning universal praise from Vogue, Love and Dazed & Confused, but also – in a first for an Irish designer – the coveted Deutsche Bank award of £10,000. In addition he was this year's winner of the LVMH Grand Prix Scholarship, worth £12,500, again the first Irish student – and the first BA – to be awarded the prize. Not only that, but in his second year, he took home the Colin Barnes drawing prize for a series of illustrations documenting Irish builders.
His collection stands out for its brio and spirit. Its shapely, swagged silhouettes accessorised with white boots and buffalo hats (a play on leprechaun hats) were painstakingly realised in painted and embroidered recycled fabrics and luxury remnants. The use of masonry paint was for him “a reminder of the collapse of the Irish construction industry”. Extensive research plus personal experience – his father, a painter, lost his job because of the recession – informed his approach.
“My work often looks at ideas or exaggerations of the mundane and working class. I looked at young people and their school uniforms, the hand-me-down elements; old, oversized clothes and the absence of vanity that goes with having to wear them. I also looked at stereotypical images of Irishness – people in Aran jumpers alongside clothes that look too small or are cut up to fit, curves that pucker – so it’s a mixture of workwear details and national costume from old photos,” he says.
A student year spent in Paris after winning an accessories design project from LVMH, made him “obsessive” about finish and practical detail. “I designed bags (at Vuitton) and learnt so much. Standards are so high and it was hands on. If you had a good idea they let you realise it.” By taking part-time jobs during the course, he was able to afford the fees, which have escalated to £9,000 a year, and completed his collection thanks to the scholarship.
The prize money has now changed his career ambitions. “I had hoped to get a job, but now I can set up my own label. I was the first BA to get it and felt a little bit out of my league because the others were all MAs, but my collection was research-based. I did a lot of videos, filmed a lot of places in Wexford and included drawings and photographs.” His drawings, for someone completely self-taught, are impressive.
Next collection
He has started work on his next spring-summer collection. “There is such a mish-mash of cultures in a working-class environment now and a lot more camaraderie,” he says. “I like the honesty and the way they put things together. So I am going to play around with shape and look at the way people wear things. I like to let ideas develop naturally. I also want to look more at Irish crafts.”
It is a far cry from his time at school when a teacher remarked on his drawing talent, but added dismissively, “shame you can’t do anything with it”, which he remembers with feeling.
Initially he intended to do a course in Wales that combined fashion and sculpture, but instead was encouraged to apply for CSM, “which I had never heard of the time. But I remember that when I was four I used always draw dresses, so (fashion) was always in my mind.”
He now plans to divide his time between London and Wexford and is going to work in “my Dad’s shed in the back. I don’t want to lose what I have here, it’s so important,” he says. He also hopes to stage an exhibition of his work, video material and drawings, echoing new trends that blend fashion and art presentations.
Already he has exhibited at the National Textile Museum of Wales and had a solo show during Hackney Wicked Arts Festival. Whatever he does next, Richard Malone will be one to watch.
Richard Malone will be showcasing his collection at Brown Thomas, Dublin, September 10-26 as part of Create. Instagram @richardmalone
