WORDS Issy Thompson
David O’Malley is famed for his gothic designs, which combine natural products with supernatural influences, and has consequently produced a darkly romantic collection. He is notorious for his wild head-dresses, which demonstrate his desire to push the limits of form to create pieces that are unique, exceptional, and pieces of art in themselves.
When did you know that you were interested in fashion?
From an early age I was introduced to drawing and creativity, both at home and school. But it wasn’t until my first year of college when I began experimenting with different art and design practices that it became evident that pursuing creative fashion design was the perfect medium through which to express my creative energy.
What did you study at college?
I studied Textiles at NCAD. The tutors there, with their wealth of experience, were incredible when it came to mentoring and developing one’s personal aesthetic.
What inspired you most when you were studying?
I think the thing which always kept me most inspired during my studies was the sense of creative progress. Constantly researching and planning the next assignment and building upon those that came before released an inner creative momentum. I think artists of any kind should always remain true to themselves and their work. Whatever the result may be, whether good or bad, success or failure, at least it was a personal learning experience and not one mediated through impersonal and second-hand processes.
What inspires you now?
I look at all the amazing things created both before and presently and question what makes them stand out as great. I then begin to imagine all of the back-breaking labour, the ups and downs and the setbacks and breakthroughs each individual had to endure to get where they are today. When I break it down to these building blocks of success I realise what I have to do in order to compete at this level and, drawing inspiration from music and films, I siphon this inspiration into my own work.
Has there been a great progression in the way that you think about your work as it has developed?
Studying at NCAD really made me self-consciously reflect upon design and the process of design which grounded me as a designer for life. Developing my own creative system helped explore and broaden the content of my work. Indeed, between the beginning and end of my first collection there was huge change as regards the aesthetic and ideology underpinning it. Learning to edit and refine the ideas driving a collection is, I have learnt, certainly one of the most challenging aspects of working in design.
Could you give me a brief description of your work?
My Autumn/Winter collection outfits focus on head pieces and body adornment, with the entire collection following a narrative drawing upon influences from various sources such as history, film, sexuality, paganism and the occult. Heavy leather, python snakeskin, goatskin and intricate fabric manipulation work upon the body’s silhouette to create a textured embodiment of the human form.
What are your ambitions? Where do you want your work to take you?
I want to continue with what I’m currently doing, which is designing for myself under the same aesthetic, but creating a network to enable me to reach a larger audience. I find a collaborative work environment to operate almost like a creative family which pushes each member to do the best they can. Essentially my ambition is to continue conceptualising and actualising my designs.
What is your relationship with the Design Centre?
The Design Centre have been a tremendous source of help and support. They have given me the opportunity to showcase my work within their shop windows for the month of October whilst simultaneously teaching me more about the commercial side of Ireland’s fashion industry. I’m extremely thankful for the chance to work with these incredibly ambassadors of emerging Irish design talent.
I am interested in the concept of “The Story of Ten”. Please could you explain the concept of it, and your general involvement?
‘The Story of Ten’ is an initiative by The Design Centre located in Powerscourt Shopping Centre. Ashling Kilduff and Erika Harris have scouted and found ten new young designers with plans for a 2014 Spring event to showcase this new talent. The Story of Ten will promote this diverse array of individual talent together on one stage and is set to symbolise the revival of Irish design, with young talent no longer emigrating but rather designing the very foundations of a stronger indigenous creative platform to support both current and future talent.
What do you think of Irish Fashion as a whole, and do you think that it is developing?
I think for a long while Irish fashion played it too safe and was overly intimidated into not taking chances. During the 70s and 80s Ireland had a huge experimental and creative fashion scene, which could almost have been called mainstream, but through the 90s and Celtic Tiger (boom and bust) there was a lack of energy. Recently however Irish fashion has become invigorated with a long-dormant energy and whilst there’s still a long way to go before it can rival the fashion capitals of the world such as New York and London, with a bit more of a push there’s no reason why it can’t.
What are the facets of the Irish Fashion industry that you most value?
The fact Ireland is a small and closely-knit population works to a designer’s advantage in many senses. It proves extremely easy to network with a variety of photographers and other designers — something that perhaps may be considered a more intimidating thing in larger fashion capitals. The support available to young Irish designers to help them develop is also a great boon.
