Threads

Taking the clothes they wore as a starting point, Paul Galvin skilfully weaves together a collection of stories of Irishmen who defined the culture and mood of their time. In Push, he tells the story of the legendary Walker Brothers - cyclists and soldiers who pedalled through a storm for Ireland at the 1912 Stockholm Games and subsequently served as rebel bike couriers during the 1916 Rising. In Born Mad, discover another side to Samuel Beckett - sartor and prolific sportsman who had knockout power as a champion school's boxer. In Boland, we learn about Harry Boland's background as a trained tailor, and in Jack, we encounter Jack B. Yeats at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. These are just some of men who have inspired Paul's own fashion collections and whom he writes about here in a fascinating collection that shines a light on how history is woven into the clothes Irishmen wear.

Paul Galvin is among the all-time greatest Gaelic football players. As a stalwart of the Kerry inter-county team from 2003 until his retirement in 2014, he won four All-Ireland titles. He qualified as a teacher, and at 30 years old he sought a new challenge as a clothing designer. Using his own design and storytelling formula, he has rewritten the language of men's fashion, creating 15 men's collections to date with Dunnes Stores. They represent a 10-year mission to change the cultural conversation in Ireland. By looking to the past and exploring the connection between culture and clothes, he has unearthed a truly stylish story of Irish men, creating a new and empowering language around clothing for them today.