Richard Malone draws on marketplaces and pub culture for AW18

[R]ichard Malone continues to mark himself out of one of London’s most promising young designers, melding technical brilliance with a flair for the dramatic. This season they were both there again, but rooted in the familiar, drawing on the themes of marketplaces, community and characters gathered around a pub table. The designer -who grew up in rural Ireland – has long been interested in exploring the idea of what banality means to different people, and finding the magic within the seemingly mundane. And it’s in doing this that those magic moments appear in Malone’s work, he is a designer that sees art in everything and manages to translate his vision into pieces that come alive on the catwalk. There is a uniqueness to his approach, a humility in his attitude and a flamboyance in design that makes him stand out from his contemporaries. “I cannot stand the idea of good taste”, he says. “The idea that there is only good or bad – one or the other. It’s arrogant, and so short sighted, to overlook what might lie in the in-between.”

And while heritage is always a key player in Malone’s collections, the label is thoroughly modern in its production. For AW18 shoulder bags with floor sweeping tassels are hand-woven and made entirely from recycled plastic, while trousers and aprons are the results of recycled viscose dyed in brilliant colours like ‘Milk Tray’ purple or bright turquoise. Riding coats with high splits flare around the body, wide legged silk trousers are inspired by the comfort of tracksuits and woven evening gowns can be machine washed after they’re worn. Low-key glamour for a new generation. Malone’s fabrics too, are noteworthy, coming from a community of weavers in Southern India that he has worked with since his graduate collection. As the industry generally becomes more ethically minded, other fashion designers should heed Malone’s approach. He is a designer that is just setting out on his own path to greatness.