Pauric raises a glass of Port to his new venture
Pauric Sweeney is the patron saint of arm candy: everyone from Rihanna to Madonna to Victoria Beckham have worn his illustrious bags over the years. But he’s been keeping me at arm’s length of late. Or maybe he’s just turned into the JD Salinger of Irish fashion?
Living in Knocknasillogue, Blackwater, Wexford, the international designer of some note, I suspected, had been plotting something. And now I can reveal what, precisely.
I hadn’t seen him in almost a year, so when I met him last week the Donegal dandy told me that he is “refocusing” on his own world-famous brand and is adding, as he says, a new notch to the bedpost — “my first passion, furniture design...” Madonna and Rihanna et al can put in their orders now. Pauric has secured on old converted factory space in the docklands of Lisbon to begin developing his furniture and a new range of handbags. He is currently house-hunting in Porto, ‘‘where leather tanning began. I recently heard so much about Porto and Lisbon,” Pauric added.
“So I immediately jetted in to see what was happening there. A place full of wonderful opportunity, craft and creativity on the cusp of new renaissance which can merge with our continued work in Ireland.. I also had the chance to visit some shoe factories which are under consideration. Ireland was once the hub of shoe making. It would be a fine thing to see this craft re-emerge in our lands.”
And if anyone can do it, Sweeney on his tod can.