Dublin-based streetwear brand set to collaborate with adidas
Ahead of tonight's launch, Victoria Brunton spoke with the founders of Dublin-based streetwear brand Emporium to discuss their story, the Irish fashion industry, and a collaboration with adidas.
Founded in 2018 with a mission to create high-quality pieces and elevate the everyday uniform, Emporium founders Robbie Fidgeon Kavanagh and Charlie Proctor Quigley were at the forefront of an Irish streetwear movement.
In 2017, when the nation was hit by Storm Ophelia, Dublin won its third consecutive All-Ireland Final, and Facebook was the main social media outlet – something quite hard to imagine in a world of Instagram, X and TikTok - streetwear and sneaker culture was having a moment.
Photo: EMPORIUM
At the time, Kavanagh and Quigley were members of the same Facebook groups centred around this street style culture – but they had never met in person.
Eventually, the two met in Brown Thomas, where Kavanagh worked in the men's footwear section and Quigley would drop in often to check out designer looks.
From there, the rest was history, with Emporium drops selling out from independent stores around Dublin as well as stockists in Japan. In 2024, they signed a five-year lease on a bricks and mortar store on trendy Drury Street, and are famous for their limited edition drops.
Now, in 2025, the two are going a step further, collaborating with adidas. At 7pm this evening, 31 July, Mild Activity will organise 10 teams to hit the road, racing checkpoint to checkpoint to bring home the W in collaborative Emporium + adidas running gear.
From 7pm - 9pm the in-store pop-up will feature a very limited drop of Emporium x adidas products. I caught up with the two to find out more.
Photo: EMPORIUM
Where did Emporium come from?
Kavanagh: "Initially, Emporium was an event; a multi-brand pop-up aimed at platforming the next generation of Irish designers and building a community around streetwear in Ireland. After a couple of successful events, we released our first tee."
Quigley: "It sold out, and our merch for the event started selling stronger than the other brands there. Emporium kind of accidentally rolled into a clothing brand."
Were you always interested in fashion?
"Yes." Quigley replies, without hesitation, "My mother had a background in fashion, which she passed down to me from an early age."
"Not always, for me," adds Kavanagh, "I grew up playing basketball, and the obsession at the time was to have the nicest basketball shoes, that eventually grew into a more general interest in sneakers, and finally into streetwear, pursuing pieces from brands like Palace and Supreme."
What is the mission for Emporium?
Kavanagh responds, "To keep building the community in Dublin and Ireland. To push the next generation of streetwear heads forward, and to put Dublin on the map globally in fashion."
Echoing that sentiment, Quigley says, "Yeah, just to keep doing what we’re doing and have people get involved, enjoy the process and see the journey."
Photo: EMPORIUM
How did this collaboration with adidas come about?
"As big fans of the brand, we’ve definitely been trying to get on their radar for a while. We’ve been lucky enough to have their support on a few collection shoots across the last year, and expanding the relationship feels like a natural progression. We’re hyped to team up on this project, and planning something bigger down the road towards the Dublin Marathon", Kavanagh explains.
How did you feel in those early conversations?
"It was exciting to be having conversations with such a high-caliber brand," Kavanagh continues. "It feels like a huge vote of confidence". Quigley points out the pairs "conversations haven’t changed, but the magnitude of the conversations has," adding, "I never thought it would be a full-time job, it was just an expensive and laborious hobby I loved doing."
Tell us a bit about the inspiration behind your latest collection? What’s your favourite piece?
"It feels like we’re working on a million things at the moment," explains Kavanagh, "but my favourite piece from the last collection is the Script Logo Short sleeve Shirt – super high-quality piece, and an instant classic."
"I like to travel a lot, so when I have 48 hours, I normally take a cheap flight somewhere and stay on a couch," says Quigley. "I love that recently all our collections and be dressed up and dressed down – a perfect example of that is the Muay Thai short, which is my favourite recent piece."
What do you see in the future for the fashion industry in Ireland?
Kavanagh answers: "The next wave taking over."
Quigley continues, "the Irish fashion scene is really exciting at the moment and I’m happy to be a part of that, it’s evolving quickly, but I see it staying linked to the roots of Irish design and Irish landscape.
Photo: EMPORIUM
If you could choose one person or celebrity to wear your brand, who would it be and why?
"All of our friends, nothing better." Kavanagh states confidently, with Quigley adding that "everyone who wears Emporium is a celebrity."
You’ve now collaborated with one of the biggest sports brands in the world, what would be the ultimate dream collaboration for Emporium?
"I think teaming up with adidas on the customised kits is definitely up there with things we’ve dreamt about," Kavanagh says fervently. "I can vividly remember flipping adidas shoes in my college job, with Emporium having just started, and imagining what it would look like if we could work with them."
Quigley agrees, "Honestly, the dream collab for emporium is adidas."
