Woven Narratives
Starboy’s capsule collection weaves together queer joy, memory and resistance – using representation to centre wellbeing
writer, producer, creative director – starboy
location – london, uk
After moving back to Dublin from London in early 2023 to further my studies in pattern drafting, I took up part-time work at Stable of Ireland, a small boutique in the Westbury Mall that breathes life back into Irish textiles and heritage. Actively working with Irish artisans all around the island, the company’s founders, Sonia and Francie, tell the story of material heritage on the island in a way that feels fresh and new, whilst inherently connected to how we live our lives today and why this is important to how people see themselves, access care and engage with their communities.
Having studied under master tailors on Savile Row, often regarded as the home of British tailoring and a massive contributor to the material heritage of the UK, it was important to me to develop my own project inspired by my native material culture. So I approached Stable with an idea for a capsule collection.
The story was clear to me: part of the reason I started designing clothes was because I couldn’t find things that made me comfortable when I was younger – something I consider pivotal to my personal wellbeing. I wanted my first commercial collection to resonate with who I am and how I see the world now.
Memories of summers spent on the rural Irish coast, in a cottage on top of a hill, overlooking the sea; roads lined with vivid orange Montbretia, as the wind blew through my layers and clouds that gathered and dispersed, taunting rain at any given moment. Swimming in the Atlantic Ocean had little allure to me, but I endured the sharp bite of its breath without looking like a marshmallow because I was wearing so many layers.
And so, the collection was born.
The primary motivation behind this project was to showcase queer joy as an act of resistance, using representation to centre wellbeing. As I was developing my designs earlier in the year, anti-trans rhetoric was rife – with the Trump administration seemingly doing everything it could to limit trans peoples’ rights and deny their very existence. American tourists often came into Stable while I was working, and the occasional Trump supporter would announce their political affiliation mere minutes after complimenting one of the scarves on display.
As an active participant of the house ballroom scene, an underground community centred around empowering trans women of colour, this notably bothered me. How could a brand that represents my heritage and beliefs also cater to people who didn’t believe in the basic human rights of my friends and peers? This was no isolated incident. Since returning to London earlier this year, the UK has furthered its own anti-trans agenda by excluding trans women from the legal definition of a woman, in another huge and unnecessary blow to this highly marginalised and vulnerable community. Such an act holds the power to negatively impact an individual’s sense of psychological safety and belonging.
It’s about showcasing diverse queer representation and making it central to an ongoing story; one that resists erasure and celebrates our history
As I began to think of how I would market the collection, I realised that there was an opportunity to empower other queer Irish people in a way that still rings true to Stable’s values as a brand, focusing on empowerment through cultural representation. I wanted to make sure that joy and togetherness was the predominant emotion the viewer got from the images. I imagined ways of channelling the energy of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Wild, young and happy. Nothing too serious.
Stable products are as much about how they’re made as they are about who makes them. They don’t just represent one thing; each piece contains a woven narrative in the diverse history of this country. Every jumper, shirt, dress and hat contains different fabrics and techniques unique to Ireland. Showcasing some often forgotten elements of the island’s past that have quietly helped record its story, each piece in the collection is grounded in the tactility of Irish craft: fabrics that feel nostalgic but are constructed in a way that protects, affirms, and empowers both the maker and the wearer.
The same denim from the classic Stable hold-all bag and the signature orange stitching on the shorts and gilet perfectly evoked rural Ireland’s colour palette; the thick fabric is perfect for keeping the wind out on a blustery Irish day. The shapes of the clothes were inspired by the Marvel comic book pages and cartoons from my childhood. Most of the styling was done with pieces customers would have already been familiar with, and new pieces were formed using familiar fabrics/ colours on new shapes or vice versa.
Through my collection, I wanted to show that Irish heritage is a living thing that can evolve to be inclusive. This project isn’t just about imagining what I would have worn when I was younger to make me feel comfortable and free. It’s about showcasing diverse queer representation and making it central to an ongoing story; one that resists erasure and celebrates our history and our place in the world today.
What I hoped to show in this process is that material heritage and queer identity are not opposing forces. They are both about belonging and care and remembering a past denied – which is exactly what Stable is about, too.
This project would not have been possible without Francie Duff and Sonia Reynolds, whose support allowed my chosen family to come to Ireland, and to my Bodegas and friends of the house, who featured in and helped create this project, in front of and behind the camera: Sayari, JC, Kenya, Chai and Jayce and Goma.
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