Forget the high street: Three new Irish streetwear brands

Joey Prince says he was always interested in fashion and, growing up, cherished a dream one day of having a luxury brand he could call his own. Though born in Zimbabwe, he was raised in Dublin and initially participated in a fashion design course at the Dublin Institute of Design but left before completion to work full-time to earn enough to fulfil his ambition. Now with that money and the help of his family and girlfriend, he has finally launched a luxury Irish streetwear brand he calls Dublin’s Very Own.

As a fledging enterprise comprising a small range of hats, T-shirts and tracksuits, it has been well thought out, and its marketing and promotion carried out with professional skills not usually evident in debut collections; he hired a graphic designer for the tech packs, stock, website design, photography and packaging. He says he uses recycled sustainable materials and the clothes can be styled in different ways depending on who is wearing them. "My vision is to focus on creating a diversity of luxury streetwear fashion made from high-quality materials. Visit his site at dublinsveryown.com

Eco-friendly unisex streetwear

Steven Murphy, owner of Fresh Cuts, the Dublin-based ethical and sustainable shop and lifestyle brand, has just launched his SS21 collection of casual unisex streetwear with the proud boast that he has been able to save 7 million litres of water by using organic rather than regular cotton.

The mills he uses are powered by renewable energy reducing the carbon footprint of the garments by 90 per cent. The new campaign called The Food of Life is inspired “by the moments people have shared, missed and look forward to around the dinner table”, says Lorna Murphy, creative director of Fresh Cuts.

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Photographer and DJ Aidan Kelly shot the collection of T-shirts, crew necks, hoodies and some flannel shirts in the Drury Buildings. Prices of the new collection are €25-€80. Fresh Cuts has also moved to new premises on Castle Market in the former Harlequin building.

Visit there or online at freshcutsclothing.com

Childrenswear with streetwear vibe

Sacha Ben Elmansour, based in Wexford, is the designer behind a cool childrenswear brand with a streetwear vibe called theconsciouskidz.

“We create designs to highlight important topics, create conversations and educate children,” she says. Her imagery is printed on knitted T-shirts, hoodies and sweaters using organic cotton, natural and recycled materials. Hers is a vegan family, animal lovers living by the sea, so there are many animal and sea creature prints on hoodies made from recycled ocean waste as well as surf-style designs.

There are plans afoot to release a sustainable denim collection and work with vegan leathers. All factories used are based in India and are part of the Fair Wear Foundation, two trees are planted with each purchase and she contributes monthly to Gold Standard climate action projects. Prices range from €20 for T-shirts and €40 for hoodies. Visit theconsciouskidz.com and on Instagram @theconscious_kidz