Richard Malone

COOL, FASHION-CONSCIOUS FEMALES NOW HAVE A COUTURIER WHO SPEAKS TO THEIR HEART. THIS LONDON FASHION WEEK STAR IS RETHINKING LUXURY CLOTHING FOR THE SOCIALLY AWARE WOMAN OF TODAY

Richard Malone doesn’t design for “women” per se. He designs for the individual — which is appropriate, given that the designer is a true original himself. “I never specify what I believe femininity to be,” he says. “I think the tropes or stereotypes of femininity and masculinity are very dangerous. That pressure to perform or define yourself so narrowly has never interested me.” Instead his preferred customer, like his work, never defines or subscribes to any sort of norm.

The 27-year-old Irish designer is London’s newest rebel darling. Shortlisted for the LVMH prize, Malone graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2014 and launched his line a year later. The women who gravitate towards his pieces — for instance, art dealers and gallery enthusiasts — are those who appreciate the art, the quirk and the designer’s sustainable practices.

Taking inspiration from sculpture and the working-class garb of Wexford, his

Irish hometown, Malone approaches his work as a craftsman. “Like my dad, who’s a painter and decorator, or my uncles who are carpenters and builders, you take pride in what you make with your hands,” Malone says. “You elevate it to something new, something beautiful and permanent.”

It’s also a way for the young pioneer to push against what he sees as exploitation at every level of the fashion industry. “I became more aware when I noticed people appropriating working-class aesthetics and taking ideas from real images,” Malone explains. “That horrid thing where rich designers go somewhere where people are poor or suffering economically, then put their clothes on these people in order to make a fashion image.

“I find it personally appalling and extremely lacking in imagination and integrity. It’s very cliché fashion and one of the things I hate most about the industry, making images that go nowhere only to seek and reinforce stereotypes for an ever-progressive upper class.”

It’s why the label seeks to produce sustainably — think fair practices, equitable pay, ethically sourced fabrics — and why Malone makes it a priority to work with private clients.

“Luxury to me is something that’s cared for, lovingly made and responsibly made,” he says. “Time is the greatest luxury.”