Richard Malone

Danielle goes on a studio visit with the artist and fashion designer, Richard Malone. Richard was born in Ireland in 1990. He studied at Central Saint Martins and after graduating became a name to watch on the London Fashion scene in the 2010s. His work has been recognised for its sensitivity towards the environment. As well as being awarded the prestigious LVMH Grand Prix scholarship  and Deutsche Bank's Award for Fashion, he has won the Woolmark Prize for creating a fully biodegradable collection. The intervening years have seen his practise become more art-focused and this year he was the winner of The Golden Fleece Award for Visual Art, Ireland’s largest and most prestigious award for contemporary art. As well as his working-class upbringing in Wexford, rural Southeast Ireland, his work explores ideas of queerness,and otherness through sculpture, performance, textiles and installation. For 2023, he created a dance performance for the opening of the Hayward Gallery’s Dear Earth - Art and Hope in a Time of Crisis exhibition, and has a large site-specific piece on display at the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. I recently visited Richard at his studio in London to discuss his - in his words - radical and optimistic work, and why environmentalism is a class issue. Further reading: Richard Malone on InstagramHayward GalleryRoyal Academy of Arts