Begley & Bowie: Colours of connection

photography Doreen Kilfeather words Sarah Finnan

A “worker bee” by her own description, Doireann Healy has always thrived on being busy. As the sole force behind the fashion brand Begley & Bowie, the proprietor of an artisan store in Kenmare, and the operator of her own design studio, she is, admittedly, busier than most. “I love the hurried nature of my work,” Doireann tells me, a smile in her voice. “I always look forward to it.”

Starting out in interior design before becoming a primary school teacher, Doireann finally made the move into fashion in 2019 – though, by this time, she had been fostering her creativity for years. “I was always illustrating, always drawing… I grew up in the countryside and I really believe in cultivating a vivid imagination. I was very inspired by nature, which I still am. My mom was very creative, so I was just constantly surrounded by art and fashion.”

Inspired by the best of Ireland, from people to places, colour is a trademark of her designs, neon pink in particular. Some people see life in black and white, but Doireann isn’t one of them. “I think it’s because of my mom,” she explains. “She was always showing us art… I think it was the exposure to that. I couldn’t get enough colour.”

Colour has become a guiding light for her brand. “When I started out, I went to so many printers because colour is something I’m so particular about.” That attention to detail has paid off tenfold and those highlighter shades have become characteristic of Doireann’s work. In fact, it’s what often sparks the most joy. 

“When people walk into my store they go, ‘Oh my gosh, I just love the colour’. When I was working in Dingle as a teen, and even here in Kenmare, I always noticed that people were buying mementoes but they weren’t a reflection of what I saw. They were all darker colours. Begley & Bowie is very much about place, and Ireland stands out because we have vibrant, colourful towns – just look at Westport, Kenmare, Dingle. In Kenmare, you’re straight away hit with Henry Street where every building is colourful. That was a big part of why I started the brand.”

Music and culture are also hugely influential on Doireann’s work. She named her brand after her childhood dogs – themselves named after two great musicians: Kerry man Séamus Begley and the legendary David Bowie. This can lead to some confusion, laughs Doireann, but it’s always a conversation starter. “Even now, people will come into the shop and ask me if I’m Begley or Bowie!”

Last year, she expanded her repertoire yet again, adding Irish linen and printed textiles to her fashion offering. “I like to learn; I hate to do the same thing all the time. I love the idea of working on something that is Irish and goes back generations… it’s beautiful to be doing it in my own studio. To be working away and experimenting.” 

On the topic of sustainability, Doireann is all in. People have moved to a slower, more considered way of shopping, and her creative process lends itself perfectly to that mindset. “When I started out, there was this rush to produce, but that puts an awful lot of pressure on you… I was putting out pieces and I didn’t feel that I was giving them 100 per cent. You want to spend time thinking. Now, you can do that.” Learning that customers will wait for quality is something that has come with experience. “People will always wait if they love something. I’d be lost without my customers.”

The design studio allows Doireann to work on commission-based projects – past clients include the likes of Adare Manor, Dromoland Castle and more recently Java Republic and Helen’s Bar in Kilmackillogue – but as that ticks along in the background, this year, the focus is on Begley & Bowie, the fashion brand and shop. “I want to make it bigger,” says Doireann. “I want to take on more staff, maybe move into UK markets and build up the brands in-store.”

That said, even worker bees need down days and it’s the rugged beauty of The Kingdom that keeps her sane throughout it all. “I think the only way I balance it is because I live in Kerry. Once I get my walks in with my dogs every day, I have peace.” “I have to live by the water and the trees but that’s why I think all of this is possible; because I can escape. I love Dublin, but sometimes people don’t realise that it’s possible to succeed outside of the city. So, I hope that gives people hope. You can do it, once you have the love for what you’re doing.”

It’s clear Bowie’s song “Oh! You Pretty Things” encompasses a multitude where Doireann’s wonderful world of colour is concerned.