Pellador x Guiness collection Pellador / Cian Redmon It’s no secret that Irish culture has seen a notable uptake in international popularity over the past few years. From Paul Mescal mania to global sold-out Fountaines DC and Kneecap tours to contemporary Irish authors topping the bestsellers lists, the hunger for Irish culture worldwide seems insatiable—and it’s now taking over our wardrobes. Pellador is the brainchild of Irish designer Greg Hall, who, in 2022, began designing apparel with Celtic-inspired motifs and imagery paired with one of his and the country’s favorite pastimes. “The one thing that I had to draw from other than my interest in Celtic art was football [soccer]. Growing up, that’s mostly what I was into. So when I was starting to design, that’s just what came out,” Hall told me on a Zoom call from the Pellador HQ in Limerick. “Then I started looking at knitwear and it kind of just ended up being football kits [socccer apparel] that I started making. And then I realised that was a good starting point or concept for a brand where I could draw from a bit of both—the Celtic stuff and the football [soccer] stuff.” Pellador knit and graphic T-shirt captured on the streets of Dublin Pellador / Cian Redmon Sport fans may recognize the name from the label’s “Roy Jeanes,” a denim design that featured the face of legendary Irish soccer legend Roy Keane, that did the rounds on social media last year. To Pellador’s delight, Keane wore a Pellador knit to a recording of The Overlap podcast a few months later in January 2025. Though many would agree that there’s a serious conversation to be had about the importance of preserving and celebrating the Irish language and traditional Celtic symbols, Hall sees the power in taking a playful approach, demonstrated in his choice to host the presentation of Pellador’s Summer 2025 collection at Skehans Freehouse, an Irish pub in a residential area of South East London. When asked about where the idea came from, Hall replied, “From being sort of outsiders in fashion, like we’re not really like fashion industry people." Hall continued, “Like we didn’t study fashion or anything like that so we’re just kind of like following our instinct to do something that’s natural to us and maybe less conventional. I mean, the first reason [behind the choice in location] MORE FOR YOU Automatic Password Hacking Machine Confirmed—Stop Using Passwords Now Microsoft Warns 1 Billion Windows Users—Do Not Use Password Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Clues And Answers For Friday, March 28th is that it was just kind of fun.” Hall elaborates on this ethos, sharing, "With shows, and our approach to fashion in general, it’s more about just having fun with it and doing things that we find fun ourselves and trying to just bring that perspective into it rather than more traditional methods of putting on shows. We didn’t want to use the pub as a venue and like shut it down and clear it out. We wanted the pub do be open, like public and active. Half the people were there to see the show and half were there just drinking. The show happened in amongst all the actual people.” Pellador ribbed knit Another testament to the growing strength of Ireland’s fashion community is the launch of Dublin Independent Fashion Week, which was born in 2023 and featured a presentation by Pellador as a part of its second installment last November. Hall and his team again rejected much of the traditional format and instead invited local friends to take part in the show, including one with some serious freestyling skills, to ensure that one of the main inspirations behind the designs isn’t forgotten. When I raised the topic of the increased interest in Irish culture from those abroad, Hall shared, “We’ve been going through a period of pride but in a more contemporary way, repurposing and reimaging the traditional elements of our culture and bringing them back into a modern way. In the past, people might have looking away from them and looked to other cultures for contemporary culture (to the U.S. or Britain), whereas now it’s kind of taking our traditions and being proud of them. That’s what we [Pellador] have been doing.” Pellador Summer 2025 show at Skehans Freehouse pub Pellador / Sandra Nagel In the last six months alone, Pellador have seen their Instagram grow by 20,000 followers. According to Statista, a leading data and intelligence agency, the Irish fashion market is expected to have an annual growth rate of 8.36%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$2.50bn in the next four years. “Maybe this recent popularity is about us having our own new, modern pride in ourselves and confidence. Maybe we’re glowing as a result of that, haha. We’re just kind of doing our own thing and if that resonates with people, then that’s good I guess.” says Hall. “In the beginning it was about trying to bring Irish symbols into contemporary design for Irish people to wear and that sort of happened. And now I’m seeing the same thing [happen internationally]. Like if we were making something that became popular in another country (like England or the U.S. or something), initially we would have thought that it would be something more universally appealing, but it’s actually the niche Irish references that seem to be the most popular abroad.” Who would Pellador like to see wearing the brand next? “Katie McAbe [Irish soccer star]. Jazzy [Irish pop singer]. Conan O’Brien.” Hall remarked with a giggle. Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades