Irish traditional garments inspire fashion classics

Sartorial elegance may not be something you associate with Ireland’s fishermen, farmers or turf cutters, but their traditional garb has produced fashion staples that continue to appear on the cover of magazines and in the wardrobes of A-list celebrities.

Take the Aran sweater, the intricately designed woollen jumper that originates from the rugged Aran Islands on Ireland’s beautiful Wild Atlantic Way. The chunky knits were originally made with unscoured wool to keep fishermen and farmers warm and dry as they went about their work, and the complex knitting patterns were unique to each family.  

Nowadays the sweaters are made with a wool mix for softness but still include the main stitch styles: cable, signifying the fishermen’s ropes; basket, a symbol of their fishing baskets; honeycomb, representing hard work; moss, a reflection of the landscape; and diamond, to wish the wearer success.

In the 1950s, when Grace Kelly appeared on the cover of Vogue wearing an Aran sweater, it became a fashion must-have. Other fans have included Steve McQueen, Marilyn Monroe and Chris Evans, and in 2017 the Aran sweater was included in an exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art as one of 111 items of clothing and accessories that have influenced fashion over the last 100 years.

Another Irish item of humble beginnings has also become a fashion statement – the brogue. Now at home in every well-dressed man’s (or woman’s) wardrobe, the shoe (bróg in Irish) was originally worn by turf cutters working on bogs, as the perforations allowed water to flow out. 

Those same perforations now create the recognisable patterns on highly expensive dress shoes. Among the elite who popularised the wearing of brogues was Elvis Presley and members of British royalty.  

Turning from toes to têtes, the tweed flat cap, once firmly associated with working-class men in Ireland and Britain, has been around for centuries and shows no sign of losing its appeal. Modern devotees include Harry Styles, Prince William, David Beckham and Brad Pitt, and the popularity of TV shows such as Peaky Blinders has made the hat a byword for modern chic.

But of course Irish fashion isn’t stuck in the past. A wealth of talented designers working across the island – including Simone Rocha, Richard Malone, Paul Costelloe, Orlagh McCloskey, Richard Quinn and Natalie Coleman – are creating modern looks that continue to be inspired by Irish landscapes, history and culture.

Watch Ireland for the next fashion classic.   

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