The Irish heritage brand known for their enduring quality and pieces that transcend trends
Jack Murphy Clothing is a third generation Irish family business with a modern take on Irish heritage. Designed in Dublin, each product line reflects the brand’s commitment to quality, functionality, and timeless elegance.
I’m Matthew Murphy, and I take care of the e-commerce and operations of Jack Murphy. My background previously was in mechanical and process engineering, which equipped me to analyse and optimise systems, and fuelled my keen interest in the details of our garments. It’s truly fascinating understanding all the different components of the heritage pieces at Jack Murphy – from the qualities of the intricate fibres to the specifications of the stitching.
Joining Jack Murphy three years ago was a steep learning curve, and the challenge I needed. So much goes into the fashion industry in its processes—both creative and operational—and understanding the nuances of the clothing business is continuously challenging and extremely rewarding. Working with my family and honouring the traditions our grandfather set up is endlessly fulfilling, and continuing the family legacy of quality, craftsmanship and heritage is paramount at Jack Murphy.
The ethos
Our mission and design philosophy is to make purposeful clothing that is made to last – not only worn through years, but generations, to come. Every aspect of the garment is considered and deliberate; no concept at Jack Murphy is rushed, it’s part of our mission to keep craftsmanship and its philosophy alive in our clothing.
Our mission always includes a commitment to sustainability, with intentional dressing that has longevity. When wearing Jack Murphy, we want consumers to feel they’re wearing something that transcends a label, that tells a story of legacy and pride.
Our process is crucial to our mission and design philosophy. We operate on a made-to-order model, working closely with our trade customers to ensure accurate material planning, and to consciously avoid overproduction.
Before any production is placed, we ensure 70% minimum order quantities have been reached before anything is manufactured. Certain products thereby have proven buy-in before production. This means we’re not left in the dark about any potential waste repercussions. We consider precise fabric lengths, trims, and all components that go into a garment, practicing conscious manufacturing, which is an integral part of our ethos.
Our operation philosophy boils down to keeping our production tight, reaching the appropriate customer, and ensuring quality and durability is at the heart of every piece, through the entire process.
Jack Murphy is primarily an outdoor and equestrian-associated brand. We produce waterproof, tweed and wax outerwear, and as of recently, we’re developing quilted gilets and jackets to scale our offerings while staying on-brand.
It’s really fascinating to witness the evolution and development of the brand. While our primary focus has always been outerwear including jackets and coats, over the last couple years we’ve really refined our tweed garments for both men and women. We are focusing heavily on tailored pieces, expanding out our range, and offering waistcoats, culottes, hats and trousers – with many pieces straight out of Ireland, with 100% Donegal tweed.
When combined, they can be worn as a three-piece suit, with the perfect accessory, ideal for the races, work or occasion wear. Jack Murphy’s mission is to create pieces that are functional, timeless and fashionable, and offer a welcome contrast to trends-based fast fashion.
There’s a misconception in the fashion industry that you have to have been passionate about fashion for as long as you can remember, but for me, that wasn’t the case.
I always had grand ideas of being involved in big engineering projects around renewable energy, but recent life events and a change of circumstances brought me back into the fold of working with the family. While it was unexpected, I couldn’t be happier working in the fashion industry, continuing the family legacy, working together.
It’s challenging and rewarding simultaneously. Working with my family has really strengthened our relationship, as we work together towards the shared goals rooted in heritage and history which is extremely fulfilling. Having our name imprinted on clothing, and knowing our garments tell a story of family heritage, quality, and hard-work is a feeling difficult to put into words.
So, while the fashion industry wasn’t somewhere I saw myself ten years ago, I’m grateful to be immersed in it now, and to be working alongside my family. We are very passionate about Jack Murphy Clothing .
The logistics
I think in any business, money and funding is always a concern. There’s always tighter months or pinch points when the money going out is bigger than the money coming in. We are always considered in how our processes work, and how we market, sell, and scale – we don’t want to explode in sales, or rush expansion and success.
We have been here for the past 100 years, and we plan to be around for centuries to come, so we believe there’s no need to speed up processes but rather be made to last – like our garments. With that in mind, we reinvest profits into the business, ensuring we grow conservatively and sustainably, and enjoy the process.
The best business advice I have received echoes back to my college days; coming from an engineering background, I studied Kaizen and Henry Ford’s manufacturing models, learning how systems and processes drive efficiency.
These studies also taught me to stay ever-curious; I learnt that you have to ask “why?” five times before you get to the root cause of any problem. Often surface-level answers seem like an explanation for the whole picture, but when you dig deep enough, you can always uncover more answers.
The brands and designers to know
Two brands that are on my radar are the Linen Shirt Company and Native Denim. They’re both Irish brands who are revitalising manufacturing in Ireland and showcasing the craftsmanship, skills and heritage we are rich in.
Like Jack Murphy, they both focus on slow fashion, with the Linen Shirt Company using homegrown linen to manufacture high-quality garments. When Anneliese talks about the industry, her commitment and passion shines through – and that’s something every business owner can respect and relate to. It’s important that Irish brands with the same mission stick together and support each other – that’s a great part of our homegrown fashion community, we are all very supportive.
I love following Front Office on Instagram. They’re a design house originally from Australia, now based in Japan, with the heavy influence of history and heritage throughout all their pieces. I especially love their Reel series discussing the process behind each garment and their design methodology.
Design methodology is something that has always been integral to our design process, originally inspired by Jack’s military background, where everything is primarily functional. Many women’s pockets are false, or buttons are decorative, for instance, but all ours are purposeful, functional, and customised.
I have also been seeking inspiration for an apartment I’m building and have been following @flxssie for interior design. I love that the account draws inspiration from nature, and this is a concept we weave into our garments. Inspired by the Irish landscape, particularly our Donegal tweed, we want our garments to echo the colours of Ireland. From the Atlantic coast to the shrubs and plants across our country, the account reflects that we can draw colour inspiration from our surrounding landscape – changing my perspective on colours and interiors, and inspiring a natural, organic feel.
My best fashion purchase wasn’t actually a purchase, but a gift (or maybe a permanently borrowed item!) I have a jumper that my mother knitted for my dad when they first started dating, and it’s one of my favourite jumpers. It just demonstrates the enduring quality of wool in that it’s still wearable today despite being made over 40 years ago.
I think Ireland is really coming into its own in the fashion landscape – showcasing all the great designers and products we have to offer. The recent Irish Fashion Week demonstrated this, and we were part of the Slane Castle show. One of the designers that really stood out to me was the new up-and-coming designer Sasha Donnellan, whose ultra-feminine designs fuse wool jumpers and delicate lace fabrics.
The legacy
My proudest moment so far was being awarded an Honourable Commendment in the Retail category at the Small Firms Association – which highlighted excellence, innovation, and customer service. It meant a lot to our entire team to be recognised for the continuous commitment we pour into the brand, and to celebrate amongst other fantastic businesses. We are extremely grateful to the businesses we work with for all the help they’ve given us, and it’s always special to be recognised for the work we’ve put in to date and celebrate that as a team.
I want Jack Murphy to be remembered for enduring quality and pieces that transcend trends. We craft pieces rooted in quality and heritage that can be worn for future generations, not just years ahead. We want Jack Murphy to be timeless, and never go out of fashion, and be part of a movement that celebrates intentional shopping, slow-fashion and investment pieces with purpose.
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