Care Label #5 : Paddy Kirk (Dubstreetwear)
The Footie, the Fans, the Fashion
My Dad (who is being mentioned on this newsletter pretty frequently now), has an old t-shirt with a famous quote from Bill Shankly saying;
“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that."
In recent weeks, I’ve been exploring the meaning of this quote. I am not a frequent viewer or supporter of the Beautiful Game, but something that peaks my curiosity is the inextricable link between football, fashion and identity.
*The Footballing 🎂 🍰 *
If we, (for a moment) think of football as a cake, Identity is a key ingredient. Of course, supporters want to see their players winning tackles and winning silverware. However, it is often less about the result when the whistle blows, and more about the significance of that club to a persons life. The community and sense of identity one gets from their football club is something unique and unmatched.
No better way to discuss this phenomenon with Bohemians FC Left Back, Paddy Kirk. The passion and the fashion seen in the terraces week on week captures how important Boh’s is to the residents of D7.
Paddy and I spoke about his footballing heritage, his most cherished timepiece and how the Boh’s fans sparked Paddy’s creative urge.
Enjoy 🤝
Care Label: So Paddy, where are you from?
Paddy Kirk: “I'm originally from Raheny, North side.
Care Label: You're also a professional footballer playing for Bohemians FC or ‘Boh’s’. Tell us how that started?
Paddy Kirk: “The football is from my family originally. My dad always played football. I had an older brother and sister who played football. So it's always been a familial thing. Until I was 17 or 18, it was football focused, and not even playing at a particularly great level when I was younger, as I was kind of a late developer. But I always had a passion for football.
Care Label: And for anyone who isn’t aware you are also a part-time photographer. You document the happenings within Irish Menswear, fashion, and culture. So did you ever think, how football was intersecting with your new interests like photography and fashion?
Paddy Kirk: “Yes and I think it was through the fans, because when I started @dubstreetwear, that was initially something I threw out on social media. I wanted to have a space to explore my creative interests.”
Care Label: You wanted to scratch that itch?
Paddy Kirk: “Yeah for so long. At first I thought these things had to be completely separate. But after starting it and sharing this new interest with the fans, I began to see the link. I think there's a big intersection between the interests of football supporters, and what I was interested in in terms of Menswear. Because you go to Dalymount on a Friday, a lot of it is about football, but a lot of it is about the fashion and culture as well.”
Care Label: The signal-ing? I wear these clothes, i’m part of X community?
Paddy Kirk: “Yeah, absolutely. You know the classic Stone Island and Adidas was something that is prevalent at Dalymount. So I think that was the first intersection between my two interests of football and fashion, that’s where it all started, with the fans themselves.”
Care Label: Wow, that’s so cool it started with the fans themselves. That’s such a beautiful way for this new interest to form! People watch you play football, and you are influenced by what those same fans wear week to week. That’s wholesome!
*Back to the Footballing Cake*
Care Label (Continued): To follow on from that, I watched this really great video on ‘Casuals’ (link here) back in the day when they travelled to Italy or France and they’d be exposed these brands like Diadora / Stone Island / Sergio Tacchini etc. It highlighted the portrayal of that ‘we love this club and the footie, but we also really care about what we wear.’ It’s a fascinating look into the subject of our identities through dress. And football has always captured that phenomenon so well.
Paddy Kirk: “It really does, and identity is such a big thing in football. It doesn't really matter where you're coming from. Even in terms of who you support. It could be Boh’s, it could be Shamrock Rovers, but you're still part of this greater community. You still wear the same clothes. You can spot a football fan on the street and you don't know who they support, but you know they love football. So I think it's kind of a bigger identity thing, not just within clubs, but in a more general sense as well.”
*Future Heirlooms*
Care Label: Onto some of your special pieces now. What pieces or possessions of yours could you never walk away from?
Paddy Kirk: “Definitely my first watch. It was for my 18th birthday. My parents got me a brand called ‘About Vintage’ and they're based in Copenhagen. It’s a really nice sunburst green dial with a green strap. And they actually got ‘DSW’ (dubstreetwear) on the back when I started to really get into that.”
“So I think my first watch because of the engraving and how DSW was becoming a bigger part of my life. I think that is something that I’ll always have. Because before it would have been jerseys or boots. Whereas this was the first time I was like, ‘oh, that's another interest’. So it symbolises a new interest in my life at the time, which is now something that I love.”
Care Label: That's amazing and so sweet to have the engraving also. Watches are sort of the ultimate prize that you’ll have your whole life. They look great, they’re personal and your tastes are unlikely to change too much that you become bored of them. So they are something that provide a great function, but they have very personal stories attached to them also.
Paddy Kirk: “I think watches are perfect for that kind of symbolism for a moment in your life. People often think watches are materialistic things. But when you are into watches, you appreciate the craftsmanship and the longevity you'll get from them. I like the idea that no matter how long you have the watch, you'll always remember the time in your life you picked it up.”
Care Label: And what about any spicey timepieces that you're looking at right now?
Paddy Kirk: “Yeah, I really want to get a Rolex GMT. I love the idea of form and function in clothes and watches. I love dive watches as well, like Submariners. I just really like the idea of their use for expeditions. Their multi-purpose function really suits my personality and lifestyle. It's a watch that would work really well with a suit, but also if you're on a hike, or on a dive. But I don’t know if i’ll ever be diving!”
Care Label: But that’s why they’re so cool. At their core watches are functional, high-tech pieces. Despite how ornate they are, they’ll be ticking away at the bottom of the ocean! Anything football related like your first pair of boots, jerseys, anything like that?
Paddy Kirk: “I do have my first Boh’s jersey which I have signed. That's something I'll always hold on to. Particularly with the affiliation to my family.”
Care Label: That’s sweet, speaking of Boh’s and their jerseys, the Bob Marley jersey?
**Pause Game: The Bob Marley Connection to Irish Football:
In 1980, Bob Marley was coming to Ireland for the first time. He was supposedly meant to play a gig in the RDS, but they didn’t want a Rastafarian playing at the Royal Dublin Society. So where did he play? Dalymount Park. Bob Marley played to 1000s of Dubliners and even dribbled some ball around the pitch. This was his only Irish gig and last ever outdoor performance. Bohemians wanted to tip their caps to this significant cultural moment and make a jersey in his honour.
Paddy Kirk: “That's what Boh’s are really good at. Coming back to identity, they're really good at giving the jerseys meaning. Whether it's the the Dublin Bus or the Refugees Welcome jersey.”
Care Label: That was amazing as well. I was watching a great feature on Boh’s and they interviewed a refugee. He mentioned that when he arrived to Ireland, he was put on a Bus and brought to a Boh’s game. Football and community go hand’n’hand, and this is something they wanted to implement, to give people a sense of belonging when they arrive in a foreign land. I loved that.
Paddy Kirk: “That's it and I always say it's such a force for positive change. I think Boh’s do it really well and positioning themselves at the right end of societal issues. Even this year, we had our jersey with Palestine colours. A percentage of sales are sent over to help people in Palestine. So it's a really cool club to be apart of. In general jerseys can have such important meaning, they can mean so much more than the crest or sponsor on the shirt.”
Football + Clobber + Community = Identity
Care Label: Going back to the notion of identity which is a common denominator when looking at football and fashion. Everyone supports a club, and everyone wants to craft their own, ‘style’. So how have you experienced this intersection of sports, fashion and identity?
Paddy Kirk: “At the start it was about keeping them separate. When I started DSW, I never put a face to it, and I still haven’t done that. I always kind of shied away from it. I always wanted to make it about the clothes and the content. Also, if I ever had a bad game people might say ‘he’s focusing too much on this Menswear stuff!’ But now I'm probably a bit more comfortable in myself in terms of being a footballer but also having this interest as well. So before I was unsure if I could promote both, but I’m proud of the football and the more creative side of my life.”
*Living it and breathing it*
Care Label: How integral is Boh’s to you and the relationship you have with the fans? You said earlier they sparked you to have this creative interest, so how does this relationship between player and fan manifest itself?
Paddy Kirk: “More than anywhere else I’ve played. But living in Phibsborough, you're right in the thick of it. It's always been something that was in my family. My dad grew up going to Boh’s games. And also, when I first came through, having the fashion and photography side of things really helped me with the club and the fans. I was wearing what the fans were wearing. I think through all of that, it's become really important to me. I've made friends with the fans, I've gone to gigs with the fans. It’s something I really appreciate, the social side of the football as well. It just feels right being at Boh’s.”
Care Label: Wow, I love how close the players are to the fans! That seems to capture what Boh’s is about, from what you’ve said. The players are as much part of the club as the fans in the terraces?
Paddy Kirk: “That’s it. If I go for a pint in Phibsborough, you’re going to bump into a Boh’s fan. There isn't a big distance between fans and players, that’s something I love about it.”
Care Label: And how important is that identity to the fans? Is it is palpable, can you see it when you’re at the games?
Paddy Kirk: “Yeah, it's a passion I’ve never seen before. I was never massively into football in terms of supporting a club. I always loved playing, but I was never a diehard fan. So the passion is something you see at Dalymount every week. Our manager will reiterate, the people in the stands are paying members. They’re working to come to these games. The dedication the fans have, travelling around the country watching the games is insane. They give up there Friday or take holidays to go to Derry or Cork. It's just really cool.”
*Wearing the Dublin Badge*
Care Label: So you play for a Dublin team as well as running DSW and DubStreetCafe. Baile átha Cliath is very much part of your life. So what does Dublin mean to you?
Paddy Kirk: “I think it says a lot like when you go away and after some time, you say ‘Ugh I miss Dublin’. I love the way it's so tight knit. Even on the more creative side when doing DSW, the community is so close where everyone knows each other. It’s the same people at every event. It’s just the same heads every time! But again, it’s that sense of community and people getting behind everyone. I’ve never spoke to anyone or interacted with anyone who aren’t excited about what’s going on in Dublin. Everyone wants to help and support each other. There’s no feeling of competition. I think that's something that makes it great here.”
Care Label: Yeah and that is something that is nice about Dublin/Ireland. It’s more of a collective rather than everyone racing to be the best, first etc. Everyone knows it’s a small space and the more people at the table, the better. A rising tide raises all ships as they say.
Paddy Kirk: “That’s it, better events and better buzz around peoples work. You kind of have to be in Dublin to feel it. You might not feel it from the outside, but when you experience it here, you feel it.
Care Label: Thanks Paddy.
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Contact Paddy for photography @dubstreetphotography 📷
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