This week, we are joined by Dana Thomas, journalist, author, and one of fashion’s most insightful voices. Based in Paris, Dana has spent her career exploring how the fashion industry really works, from sustainability and supply chains to the inner worlds of luxury and design.
We first came to Dana’s work through her writing — I discovered her book Fashionopolis, while teaching sustainability on a Sociology of Fashion module, and Katriona through Dana’s excellent books, Gods and Kings, and Deluxe: How Luxury Lost It’s Lustre - when teaching a luxury fashion principles module.
It’s a testament to Dana’s extraordinary range — a writer who understands fashion from every angle.
Today, she reflects on the garments that have accompanied her through a life immersed in fashion, storytelling, and change.
Here’s Dana Thomas on Desert Island Dress.
🎨 This series features hand-drawn sketches of each of our guests by artist Louise Boughton @louiseboughton_
✨ Stay connected with Desert Island Dress:
📸 Instagram: @desert_island_dress
🌐 Website: www.desertislanddress.com
⭐ Don’t forget to follow, rate & review the podcast — it really helps more people find us.
💌 And if you're enjoying Desert Island Dress, please do share your favourite episode with a friend!
Welcome back to our post-analysis episode of Desert Island Dress.
Every other week, we take a moment to reflect on the stories and choices shared in the main conversation and pull on one of the threads that caught our attention.
✨ Stay connected with Desert Island Dress:
📸 Instagram: @desert_island_dress
🌐 Website: www.desertislanddress.com
💌 Our ask this series: share your favourite episode with a friend, or follow and subscribe on your podcast app — it really helps us grow!
For more stories, news and updates — including our first live show in Copenhagen with the Embassy of Ireland and recently published articles in RTÉ Brainstorm — visit desertislanddress.com.
As Ireland celebrates the election of Catherine Connolly as President, it feels timely to reflect on the women whose work helped make this kind of leadership possible.
This week’s guest is one of them.
Ailbhe Smyth — academic, feminist, and lifelong activist — has helped shape Ireland’s social conscience for more than five decades.
From the early women’s movement to the campaigns for marriage equality and reproductive rights, her voice has been one of determination, conviction, and courage.
Her activism runs alongside that of women like Catherine Connolly — both championing equality, inclusion, and the belief that political life can be grounded in empathy and integrity.
We recorded this conversation in early summer, before Catherine announced her presidential campaign, but its release now feels fitting. As you’ll hear, Ailbhe’s choices and stories capture the spirit of women who’ve helped change Ireland for the better.
For Ailbhe, there were signs of this determination right from the cradle … keep listening to hear more of Ailbhe’s coveted pair of little red shoes!
🎨 This series features hand-drawn sketches of each of our guests by artist Louise Boughton @louiseboughton_
✨ Stay connected with Desert Island Dress:
📸 Instagram: @desert_island_dress
🌐 Website: www.desertislanddress.com
⭐ Don’t forget to follow, rate & review the podcast — it really helps more people find us.
💌 And if you're enjoying Desert Island Dress, please do share your favourite episode with a friend!
Welcome back to our post-analysis episode of Desert Island Dress.
Every other week, we take a moment to reflect on the stories and choices shared in the main conversation and pull on one of the threads that caught our attention.
✨ Stay connected with Desert Island Dress:
📸 Instagram: @desert_island_dress
🌐 Website: www.desertislanddress.com
💌 Our ask this series: share your favourite episode with a friend, or follow and subscribe on your podcast app — it really helps us grow!
For more stories, news and updates — including our first live show in Copenhagen with the Embassy of Ireland and recently published articles in RTÉ Brainstorm — visit desertislanddress.com.
Today we have another wonderful guest for you — the creative, singular, stylish disruptor and artist, Gavin Friday.
We first met Gavin back in May at the launch of a new exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland. The exhibition, curated by Gary O’Neill, celebrates Dublin youth culture, street style, and subcultures from the 1960s to the 1990s. Gary has spent the last two decades collecting materials from the public, photographers, and photojournalists — and if that sounds like your kind of thing, the exhibition runs until March 2026 at Collins Barracks.
What struck us that evening was Gavin’s enthusiasm for the Desert Island Dress project, and the care he put into choosing his four items to bring to the island. From challenging ‘fashion norms’ on the streets of 1970s Dublin, to celebrating the craft of a well-tailored three-piece suit by the late 1980s, Gavin never shies away from contradictions. Instead of shedding one identity for another, he layers and curates them — creating a fusion of all he has been, and all he is becoming.
As his most recent album title suggests, we are invited to Ecce Homo - “Behold the Man.”
We hope you enjoy this colourful journey through time, subcultures, and shifting institutions — with the absolute gent that is Gavin Friday.
Welcome back to our post-analysis episode of Desert Island Dress.
Every other week, we take a moment to reflect on the stories and choices shared in the main conversation and pull on one of the threads that caught our attention.
✨ Stay connected with Desert Island Dress:
📸 Instagram: @desert_island_dress
🌐 Website: www.desertislanddress.com
💌 Our ask this series: share your favourite episode with a friend, or follow and subscribe on your podcast app — it really helps us grow!
For more stories, news and updates — including our first live show in Copenhagen with the Embassy of Ireland and recently published articles in RTÉ Brainstorm — visit desertislanddress.com.
Kicking off our fourth series, we are so excited to welcome Jo Ellison to Desert Island Dress.
Jo Ellison, as many of you will know, is the editor of HTSI/ How to Spend It at the Financial Times, and formerly Fashion Editor at the Financial Times and Features Editor at Vogue. Having Jo spend time in the “hot seat,” as Katrina would call it, was a dream come true, and we really hope she enjoyed the conversation as much as we did.
We were particularly delighted to learn how influential Ireland and Irish culture have been for Jo — from her early teenage crushes, through her first journalistic job in Cork at the Cork Examiner, cutting her teeth as an apprentice, to spending the last 30 years in domestic bliss with a previous guest and friend of Desert Island Dress, Irish playwright Enda Walsh!
What a fabulous guest to kick off the series! We absolutely loved chatting with Jo, and we left the conversation as total fangirls of the one and only Jo Ellison. Enjoy this episode!
🎨 This series features hand-drawn sketches of each of our guests by artist Louise Boughton @louiseboughton_
✨ Stay connected with Desert Island Dress:
📸 Instagram: @desert_island_dress
🌐 Website: www.desertislanddress.com
⭐ Don’t forget to follow, rate & review the podcast — it really helps more people find us.
💌 And if you're enjoying Desert Island Dress, please do share your favourite episode with a friend!
In this post-analysis episode, we reflect on our conversation with Mandy Johnston and explore the themes that stuck with us—effort, authenticity, and the subtle power of getting dressed.
From the blurred lines of post-COVID workwear to the quiet authority of a well-chosen outfit, we discuss why what we wear still matters. We also share a standout clip from The Diplomat that perfectly captures the politics of appearance in public life.
Don’t forget to catch Mandy’s full episode from earlier this week, and follow us to stay updated on what's happening next with Desert Island Dress.
In this episode of Desert Island Dress, journalist, broadcaster, and communications expert Mandy Johnston joins us to share the stories behind the clothes that have shaped her life.
From career-defining purchases to sentimental staples, Mandy reflects on the power of dressing with intention, the fine line between fashion and style, and why great clothes—like great friends—stand the test of time.
We also explore the shifting boundaries between workwear and leisurewear, the emotional weight of investment pieces, and how fashion plays a role in confidence and communication.
📌 Follow Mandy Johnston on Instagram: @mandyjohnstonpr
📌 Learn more about Mandy's radio show Taking Stock on Newstalk: https://www.newstalk.com/shows/taking-stock-834298
📌 Keep up with Desert Island Dress on Instagram: @desert_island_dress
Next Episode: We’ll be back this Friday with our post-analysis episode, where we reflect on Mandy's choices and dive deeper into the themes that emerged in this conversation. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it!
🎧 Desert Island Dress is available on all major podcast platforms. Subscribe, rate, and review to help us keep sharing these incredible stories!
In this post-analysis episode of Desert Island Dress, we reflect on our powerful conversation with Leon Diop. We explore his choice to wear a Charles Oliveira hoodie and what it reveals about resilience, identity, and surrounding yourself with positive role models.
We also unpack the cultural urgency of Netflix’s Adolescence, the rise of harmful online influencers like Andrew Tate, and the critical need for young people—especially boys—to see strength in empathy, discipline, and belonging.
From martial arts to mindset, this is an episode about the values we wear and the influence they carry.
📌 Follow Leon Diop on Instagram: @leon_diop_
📌 Learn more about Black & Irish: https://blackandirish.com/
📌 Keep up with Desert Island Dress on Instagram: @desert_island_dress
🎧 Desert Island Dress is available on all major podcast platforms. Subscribe, rate, and review to help us keep sharing these incredible stories!
In this episode of Desert Island Dress, we’re joined by activist, community leader, and founder of Black & Irish, Leon Diop. Through his chosen garments, Leon shares his journey of self-expression, resilience, and identity—exploring what it means to be both Black and Irish in modern Ireland. We talk about the power of storytelling, the importance of representation, and the personal experiences that led him to create Black & Irish, a platform dedicated to amplifying Black and mixed-race Irish voices.
Leon reflects on childhood nostalgia, the impact of fashion as a form of self-expression, and how clothing connects us to our past, our culture, and the communities we belong to.
We also get into an unexpected connection with Mariah Carey, the role of sport in shaping identity, and the importance of finding confidence in your own skin.
This is a conversation full of warmth, humour, and deep insights, and we are so grateful to Leon for sharing his stories with us.
📌 Follow Leon Diop on Instagram: @leon_diop_
📌 Learn more about Black & Irish: https://blackandirish.com/
📌 Keep up with Desert Island Dress on Instagram: @desert_island_dress
Next Episode:
We’ll be back this Friday with our post-analysis episode, where we reflect on Leon’s choices and dive deeper into the themes that emerged in this conversation. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it!
🎧 Desert Island Dress is available on all major podcast platforms. Subscribe, rate, and review to help us keep sharing these incredible stories!
In this post-analysis episode, we reflect on our conversation with Havana boutique founder Nikki Creedon—not just through the lens of fashion, but through a wider cultural conversation sparked by her long-standing support of Irish design.
Inspired by a quote from retail expert Mary Portas, who suggested that Irish retailers should "sell the feeling of being Irish," we consider what that feeling actually means.
From the cultural nostalgia of Claddagh rings and Aran jumpers to the modern expressions of Irishness in music, sport, and multicultural identity, we wonder: how is Irishness being redefined by a new generation of creatives?
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review to help more people discover Desert Island Dress!
Follow us on @desert_island_dress
🎧 Listen now on Spotify/Apple Podcasts/any other platform links!
In this episode of Desert Island Dress, we sit down with Nikki Creedon, the founder and owner of Havana boutique, one of Dublin’s most beloved fashion destinations. For over three decades, Nikki has curated a space where craftsmanship, individuality, and timeless design take centre stage.
From her early days working with Paul Costelloe to building a boutique that champions both international and Irish designers, Nikki shares the pivotal moments that shaped her journey in fashion. We explore the influence of her stylish mother, the joy of discovering extraordinary pieces, and the philosophy behind her approach to curating a wardrobe that lasts a lifetime.
Through her chosen pieces, Nikki reflects on fashion’s power to evoke memories, tell personal stories, and create lasting connections. Whether it’s a treasured garment from Japan, an iconic designer piece, or the dress that holds the most profound personal significance, her selections reveal a deep appreciation for fashion as more than just clothing—it’s a way of life.
Join us for a conversation filled with nostalgia, insight, and a true passion for style.
🔔 Don’t forget! Our post-analysis episode drops this Friday, where we’ll unpack key themes from today’s conversation and reflect on Nikki's selections in more depth.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review to help more people discover Desert Island Dress!
Follow us on Instagram: @desert_island_dress
🎧 Listen now on [Spotify/Apple Podcasts/Other platform links]
In this post-analysis episode, we dive deeper into Rich Gilligan’s Desert Island Dress choices, with a special focus on Levi’s 501s and their cultural significance. From their origins as durable workwear for Gold Rush miners to their association with rebellious youth, counterculture movements, and high fashion, we explore how Levi’s has continuously redefined itself through cultural storytelling.
We also discuss the groundbreaking Laundrette advert of 1985, which reimagined masculinity, and Levi’s latest REIIMAGINE campaign featuring Beyoncé—an intervention in the cowboy myth and American music history. What does it mean to frame and reframe history? And how do brands, fashion, and photography shape the narratives we tell?
Join us as we connect Rich Gilligan’s love for 501s with the broader conversation on identity, storytelling, and who gets to define Americana.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review to help more people discover Desert Island Dress!
Follow us on @desert_island_dress
🎧 Listen now on [Spotify/Apple Podcasts/Other platform links]
This week on Desert Island Dress, we’re joined by Irish photographer Rich Gilligan, whose work has captured everything from underground skate culture to high-profile editorial portraits. Known for his ability to find beauty in the in-between moments, Rich’s photography is deeply rooted in storytelling, nostalgia, and the personal connections we form with the things we wear.
In this episode, we dive into:
🎞️ How Rich’s early years in Dublin’s skate scene shaped his creative eye
📸 The connection between photography, identity, and self-expression
🧥 The sentimental power of clothing and the stories they carry🏙️ Life in New York, creative hustle, and finding a home in his work
Join us as we explore the emotional weight of garments, the importance of capturing authenticity, and how Rich’s journey—both on and off the skateboard—has influenced his approach to style and storytelling.
🔔 Don’t forget! Our post-analysis episode drops this Friday, where we’ll unpack key themes from today’s conversation and reflect on Rich’s selections in more depth.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review to help more people discover Desert Island Dress!
Follow us on @desert_island_dress
🎧 Listen now on [Spotify/Apple Podcasts/Other platform links]
In this post-analysis episode, we reflect on our conversation with journalist and BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour host, Nuala McGovern. From her formative years in Italy to the friendships that have shaped her, we explore how clothing serves as a marker of identity, memory, and personal evolution.
We discuss the deep connections between fashion and self-expression, the role of friendships in shaping who we become, and the concept of conspicuous consumption—how our relationship with clothing shifts as our lives and careers progress. Inspired by Nuala’s reflections, we also consider the enduring power of vintage finds, the influence of creative environments, and the changing dynamics of style between college life, work, and motherhood.
Get Involved: We’d love to hear from you! Do you have a treasured item from your past that still holds deep meaning? Send us a message on Instagram or share your story in the comments—we’d love to feature listener memories in a future episode.
📢 Support the Show:
Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, rate, and review to help more listeners discover the stories behind the clothes we love.
✨ Follow Desert Island Dress:
Instagram: @desert_island_dress
Website: www.desertislanddress.com
Find out more about BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour:
Instagram: @bbcwomanshour
Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007qlvb
Welcome back to Desert Island Dress, the podcast where we explore the garments that have shaped lives through memory, emotion, and experience. Today, we're joined by the brilliant Nuala McGovern – Dublin-born journalist and broadcaster, and now a familiar voice as a host on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.
Nuala’s career has taken her across the world, from Italy to the United States, from frontline reporting to the heart of one of the UK’s most iconic radio programmes. And while she might not consider herself a dedicated fashion enthusiast, her life has been surrounded by people who are – from her stylish mother, who still picks out clothes for her at 90, to the fashion designers she’s lived with along the way.
Clothes, for Nuala, are less about trends and more about the stories they hold – from the nostalgia of childhood outfits, to the vintage treasures of her time in Milan, to the practical, hard-wearing staples that have accompanied her on assignments from Westminster to war zones.
Her selections reflect the places she’s called home, the moments that shaped her, and the deep connections between clothing and identity. We were honoured to step into her world and hear the stories behind Nuala McGovern’s Desert Island Dress choices.
📢 Support the Show:
Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, rate, and review to help more listeners discover the stories behind the clothes we love.
✨ Follow Desert Island Dress:
Instagram: @desert_island_dress
Website: www.desertislanddress.com
Find out more about BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour:
Instagram: @bbcwomanshour
Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007qlvb
In this follow-up episode, we take a closer look at our conversation with Leah Hayden Cassidy. From the deep connections between fashion and identity to the role of heritage in shaping personal style, we unpack the key takeaways from Hayden’s Desert Island Dress selections.
Join us as we revisit the highlights, share our thoughts, and explore how the pieces we wear hold meaning far beyond the fabric.
In this episode of Desert Island Dress, we’re joined by the brilliant Leah Hayden Cassidy, a Dublin-born, London-based barber whose talent and creativity have made her a standout in the industry.
But today, she’s not here to talk about hair—she’s sharing the pieces of clothing that mean the most to her. From sentimental treasures to everyday staples, Hayden reflects on how style connects her to family, heritage, and the memories that shape who she is.
It’s a chat filled with warmth, nostalgia, and plenty of laughs as we explore the deep personal meaning behind the things we wear. Whether it’s a beloved item passed down through generations or something that’s become part of her signature look, Hayden’s choices tell a story of identity, tradition, and self-expression.
📢 Support the Show:
Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, rate, and review to help more listeners discover the stories behind the clothes we love.
✨ Follow Hayden Cassidy:
Instagram: @hayden_cassidy
Website: www.haydencassidy.com
✨ Follow Desert Island Dress:
Instagram: @desert_island_dress
Website: www.desertislanddress.com
In this postanalysis episode, we reflect on our conversation with acclaimed playwright Enda Walsh, the first guest of Desert Island Dress Season 3.
From childhood T-shirts that unlocked a sense of scale and colour to the unspoken rules of teenage fashion, Enda’s stories gave us so much to think about. We revisit the moments that stood out most—his vivid storytelling, the emotional weight of clothing, and the way garments can root us in time and place. Along the way, we dive into themes of memory, identity, peer approval, and self-expression.
We also explore the power of place in shaping personal style, how clothing codes are policed in different social spaces, and why some garments stay with us—either physically, like Enda’s framed childhood T-shirt or as ghosts of fashion choices that didn’t quite land.
🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.
📲 Follow us on Instagram for more @desert_island_dress
💌 Got thoughts on this episode? We’d love to hear from you!
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